By Nicholas Finney

The classic children’s tale ‘Wind in the Willows’, which has captivated audiences of all ages for many years, was bought to sparkling life on the Shanklin stage by Shoreline Productions. The Alan Bennett adaption, with his trademark unique and whimsical humour, was delightfully recreated by the well-rehearsed cast.

There were outstanding performances from Ratty (Oliver Fry), Toad (Peter Stockman), and Badger (Fiona Gwinett).

A special mention must be made of Leonie Page’s warm and endearing characterisation of Mole, which charmed and amused the audience in equal measure. Supporting cast members brought additional talent and enjoyment to the tale.

The production was well-paced, moving in a gentle but firm manner with a few songs bringing an added dimension to the overall production.

I found the background music, performed with keyboard and whistle, less convincing. In places, whilst dialogue was taking place between the three pals, it was mildly annoying but this critical comment is not intended to detract from the overall richness of the performance.

The set was handled with considerable ingenuity, with models of objects important to the story, like the barge, train, caravan, car and boat cleverly positioned to allow the story to be well centred.

When tackling a story which is almost timeless and embedded in so many childhood memories, it takes great skill to create originality without damaging everyone’s personal perceptions of the original story. With the help of Alan Bennett’s skilful writing, this cast pulled it off and produced a performance which the audience clearly enjoyed.