The Wykehamist
The Wind in the Willows
In November, Phil’ s whisked QEII back to a much simpler world; one of the idyllic countryside, meandering rivers and … a high-octane police chase on trains?! The Wind in the Willows gave the audience an absolute whale of a time as we followed the adventures of Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad through the nature of Berkshire.
The play began with an active woodland scene, with all the creatures going about their daily lives, made to look splendid by the hard work of SPK on the costumes, particularly the big bushy squirrel tails. We were first introduced to Mole, played by Liv Palser( G, 2024-), who rapidly discovered the harsh realities of capitalism. Liv captured excellently the curious yet shy personality of Mole, and I had a lot of fun watching her mannerisms when met with an idea she didn’ t particularly enjoy. We were then presented another one of our leads, Rat, Jack Warner( G, 2021-), who would reveal himself to be quite an impressive singer over the course of the show. A picnic then allowed Otter, Seb Wells( G, 2021-), to make his short but sweet appearance on stage, as well as introducing the first of two don cameos in the form of BKP doing an otterly good performance as a lifeguard. Having dons take part in performances is an addition which I feel has been criminally overlooked at least in my time here, as comic relief really does not come easier than a classics don in a lifeguard outfit.
Rat eventually decided to take Mole to the abode of the well-renowned Toad, George Freeman( G, 2023-), and the audience certainly benefitted from the arrival of such a class act. His 1950s RP drawl suited his character as much as it does certain Wykehamists, and he nailed Toad’ s pompous and childish personality with ease. Embarking on a caravaning trip, Toad’ s latest fad, the crew soon found themselves in a prickly situation when the Wild Wooders, led by Chief Weasel, Jamie Mitchell( G, 2021-)— whose excellent manner, gait and voice made him certainly an audience favourite— almost ate them all when they slept. The dynamic between Chief and Norman, Louie Stoesser( G, 2024-), gave the play several moments of great comedy. Jamie’ s stage presence was truly commanding, and his naturally well-endowed height only cemented his authority. Luckily, all bar a little teddy survived the night, yet the gang soon found themselves in a close run-in with the M4( or, more accurately, a first year in a toy car, but hey, that amounts to about the same level of danger), which for better-orworse led Toad to have visions of motorcar excellence.
Whilst gallivanting along the river, Rat briefly left Mole to her devices, when she was preyed upon by a fox, James Pett( G, 2024-), who then convinced her to trek into the Wild Wood alone. What the fox would he do that for? Then came what was probably the most distressing scene in the play, when Weasels & Co. aggressively assaulted Mole. So that was why Eva Crouch( G, 2024-), the director, had been chanting“ we hate moles,
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