| I remember walking into the theatre and down the steps, past the musicians who were warming up. It was incredibly hard not to notice the props on stage, the cabinet, the trunk, chair and such. The play itself was magical. From the rabbits and the butterflies to the four main characters. It was amazing to see how they used the limited props to full use. By opening the drawer of the cabinet, a river flowed where the ducks waded. Adam Cooper, Matthew Hart, Will Kemp and Philippa Gordon were each (in my opinion) perfect for the parts. Philippa was utterly lovable as Mole and it made you just want to cuddle her as she rolled out of her carpet. Will Kemp as Ratty looked unbelievably suave, even with a boat around his waist as he rowed his way onto the stage. Adam Cooper brought Badger to life with the way he moved. He and Will Kemp really portrayed elegance with a twist of masculinity...did that sound right? Matthew Hart. What can I say? He was a hit as Toad. Everyone loved him. He was just bursting with energy and just had this aura about him even when he was standing still as a nervous Toad on a giant chair cum prison cell. One of the best bits of the show was when it started snowing on stage. It then started snowing on the audience. It was lovely to see everyone's reaction, including the performers, when little snowflakes (which were actually...erm...soap bubbles) dropped gently from the sky. I have to say I was blinded a few times by Will Kemp's torch when the performers had to do a scene with all of them carrying torchlights....and also almost went deaf when Ratty shot from his trusy pistol. The expressions on his face were priceless. All in all it was a magnificent and spectacular show. I strongly believe that Wind in the Willows should be a permanent stay in the Royal Opera House...well at least every Christmas season. Children loved it, adults loved it. It was just a thrill. |
| wind in the willows 12dec02 as reviewed by dina s |
| dina met will after the performance. here is her post of that lucky encounter: I saw the production in covent garden, London on thursday night. He was absolutely gorgeous. about his goatee...well..i guess u could call it a goatee...if u see the pic of him as ratty, u would be able to see a lil goatee just under his lips he does have the moustache but obviously it was penciled over in black for the show.... well, his height...lets see..i'm not very tall myself..in fact i am exactly 5 feet..and i am up to his shoulder.. he was incredibly nice and smiled a lot.being a film student, i'll be shooting my final film in february and asked if he would consider acting in it...he then mentioned he'll be working on a movie until june next year. after signing the pic i had of him as ratty, we posed for a picture and as we were posing he placed his arm around my back and was still asking me questions. so it was like, we were both looking at the camera and smiling but still trying to have a conversation..after that he signed some autographs for 3 lil n very cute kids who were also waiting at the stage door...they were like "You're Ratty!!!" and he gave them a huge smile and was incredibly sweet to them. after signing everyones stuff he was ready to leave. However before leaving, he turned to me and came to where i was standing and wished me luck with my film and i did the same.that was really nice of him. |