In the Willows – Oxford Playhouse and Touring

The cast of In the Willows. Picture: The Other Richard

In the Willows was reviewed at the Oxford Playhouse and is currently touring until 8 June 2019.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

“We dream big in the Willows” is the anthem of the inner-city melange of streetwise kids echoing the aspirations of Metta Theatre’s Poppy Burton-Morgan and Will Reynolds when the seed to write a musical was planted in their impressionable minds by a teacher 20 years ago. At the time it may have seemed like a pipedream but, just like the characters in their play, with determination, a guiding hand and a modicum of luck, it’s surprising what you can do.

The past few years have seen a huge change in the genre of musical theatre and, to their credit, Burton-Morgan (writer and director for this production) and Reynolds (designer) have used the time not only to raise the capital and create the play, but also to benefit from some of the more recent developments in musical style.

This means that influencers for In the Willows could arguably be Hamilton, Heathers, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and other recent shows with a mix of rap, ballads and street dance focusing on both ensemble energy and individual character-building solos. Burton-Morgan (book and lyrics)  has written the piece along with Pippa Cleary (music) and Keiran Merrick (music and lyrics).

Whilst the characters in the show bear more than a resemblance to Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved creatures, it is the idiomatic use of “riverbank” phraseology that packages this production up as a modern day alternative to Wind in the Willows. Its focus on a variety of social problems makes it ripe for today’s audience.

Mole (touchingly played by Victoria Boyce) is thrown in the deep end, drowning amongst the rougher pupils at The Willows school, and finally comes up for air once she realises that she can let the things that haunt her slip into the past.

Harry Jardine is hilarious as the conceited Toad, whose ‘What Have They Done?’ lament is packed with comical lyrics, and Zara MacIntosh is excellent as the streetwise Rattie.

Clive Rowe packs a powerful punch as Badger, the teacher who is determined to show his students a better life and Bradley Charles is the menacing Chief Weasel who throws some moves in a dance-off reminiscent of the Sharks and Jets. The Willows has its fair share of school bullies too, represented here by the Bitchy and Twitchy Rabbits (Katherine Picar and Treasure Iyamu).

Burton-Morgan and Reynolds have also ensured that their characters represent diversity and inclusivity. There’s Seann Miley Moore’s portrayal of the flamboyant Duck and Abiola Efunshile, as Owl, whose costume incorporates the hijab.

With deaf actor and dancer Chris Fonseca on board, the cast uses sign language in tandem with sharp choreography (Rhimes Lecointe), making this a truly all-encompassing production.

Julie Watterston