THE BASICS: THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, based on the play TOAD OF TOAD HALL by A.A. Milne, further adapted and directed by Fiona Sauder, is at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre but unfortunately closes on September 27, with only 7 more shows available. So hurry and visit shawfest.com for tickets and details. There is a “Family Pre-Show Workshop” available prior to each performance of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (and also one of the two Christmas offerings A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD). $10 with theatre ticket. Call 1-800-511-7429 to book.
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: We begin with young, impressionable Mole as, bored with housecleaning, he heads to the riverbank and meets the resourceful Rat, the grumpy Badger and finally, the irrepressible Mr Toad. After Toad’s passion for fast cars gets him in trouble with the law, including a trial by jury and a sentence in prison, Toad is aided in a jailbreak by a friendly washerwoman. Meanwhile, his three friends must rid his home, “Toad Hall,” of weasels, stoats, and ferrets. Based on the much-loved 1908 children’s novel, “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame, then adapted by A.A. Milne (of Pooh and Christopher Robin fame) into a play, now further adapted by the director, Fiona Sanders, this is about friendship, loyalty and, as the Shaw publicity states, “the joy of getting into trouble.” It’s a rare play that works for all ages (at least 6+) but this one does.
RUNTIME: 2 hours including one intermission
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, THE PRODUCTION: “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” So declares Rat early on in the original children’s novel “The Wind in the Willows.“ This is slightly amended to “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about by a river” in the A.A. Milne play adaptation (perhaps to save set designers some headaches). That change was slightly jarring only because the original expression is so famous. But, I say that to emphasize that’s all that I remember from having the book read to me some 70 years ago. The whole experience of watching this play in 2026 was new and fresh to me and I loved it.
I was pretty sure that I would love it, since in my experience shows in the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre are the shows that we talk about years later. It’s a magical place, a theater in the round, where directors and set designers seem to do their best work. Shawfest productions in general are as good as they come. With year round set and costume shops and a solid corps of experienced repertory actors, Shaw productions get “up to speed” early and at the highest level. Speaking of those shops, the clever set here was designed by Judith Bowden and the excellent costumes designed by Laura Delchiaro.
Every member of the cast has a primary role, but is also listed as a member of the Ensemble, adding to the “swirl of activity” feeling of this high energy show. And talk about energy, the character Toad usually comes with the adjective “irrepressible” meaning “impossible to restrain, control, or hold back; full of energy and enthusiasm.” Perfect for Mr. Toad and perfect for Lawrence Libor who plays him.
And kudos to his castmates who do not fall into the trap of imitation, but ply their roles with the professional consistency that holds the whole show together. It’s not “madcap” or “zany” (for that see JEEVES AND WOOSTER at Shaw’s Courthouse Theatre or ONE FOR THE POT, also excellent farce, at the Festival Theatre). Counterintuitively, actors will always tell you that comedy is much harder than drama and that performing in a play with children in the audience is much harder than playing only to adults. And this cast takes that seriously and does it so well.
The venerable Sharry Flett plays the clever Rat, Shawn Wright brings a solidly gruff Badger to light, Gabriella Sundar Singh plays the innocent but willing Mole so well, and, always light on his feet, Matt Alfano makes the Chief Weasel almost a swashbuckling character.
Probably the best praise I can think of is this: When I was in elementary school, a traveling troupe brought PUSS IN BOOTS to our auditorium and I was completely enchanted. I’ve never forgotten that feeling. This play, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, has come as close that that original enchantment as I’ve ever experienced. I’m sorry that I didn’t get there sooner so that I could review it sooner. But, there are seven more shows scheduled, so take advantage.
NOTE 1: Fans of WBFO’s (BTPM-NPR’s) “Theater Talk” with Anthony Chase will be interested in ANECDOTES & STORIES FROM THE THEATRE, HOSTED BY ANTHONY CHASE, Friday September 25, 10:00am at the Shaw Artists’ Village Hall. It promises to be a morning of theatrical true-stories and tall-tales, hosted by theatre critic and historian Anthony Chase of NPR’s Theatre Talk, with special guests Sharry Flett (currently in THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and FUNNY GIRLS); Patrick Gallivan (currently in SLEUTH and ONE FOR THE POT); and Sanjay Talwar (currently in ONE FOR THE POT and HEARTBREAK HOUSE). Visit shawfest.com and click through to September 25.
NOTE 2: The Holiday Season 2026 at the Shaw Festival opens in November including A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, a Tony nominated Broadway musical with music by Robert Reale, book and lyrics by Willie Reale (they’re brothers), and music direction by Ryan deSouza at the CourtHouse Theatre. It opens November 13 and runs through December 23.