Finding a show to produce for the holiday season that will appeal to both children and their parents is so a daunting task that many theaters abandon the search and go with the familiar Christmas stories. Not Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst of the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank. To solve the perennial problem, the theater commissioned composer Mike Reid, lyricist Sarah Schlesinger and book writer Mindy Dickstein to write an original musical, A Wind in the Willows Christmas, a charming and inventive gift for theater patrons aged 5 to 105.
Based on the beloved children's classic by Kenneth Grahame, A Wind in the Willows, the tale follows the adventures of the story’s beloved characters—Mole, the Water Rat, Dr. Badger and Mr. Toad—as they discover that home (and Christmas) is "best shared with the ones you love," in this case your friends, a truth that is never too trivial for all of us to absorb. Reid and Schlesinger have written beautiful melodies and clever lyrics that not only move the action along but reflect the personalities of the actors who sing them. Dickstein's book is funny yet sophisticated. The kids in the opening night audience certainly laughed loudly as they "got" the jokes. (Below: Rat and Mole “mess around in boats.”)
Philip Witcomb has transformed the stage of the Rechnitz Theater into a veritable riverscape, complete with plants and what looks like water. The entire scene is set in motion by a revolving turntable and a spiraling wooden pier that winds up to the home of Dr. Badger and later, Toad Hall, the most magnificent house in the Wild Wood and home to the flamboyant Toad, lover of flashy, fast sport cars! There are plenty of dark spaces for monsters to lurk (shades of Where the Wild Things Are) and weasels to sneak. And the passage of the seasons from Spring to Winter is marked by shifting light, falling leaves and snow. Witcomb has also designed the costumes, none of which turn the actors into animal-like figures. Instead, they wear people clothes that suggest the animal: the wise Dr. Badger wears a three-piece tweed suit; geeky Mole wears black-rimmed glasses and a pinched facial expression; the Water Rat, a poet, is dressed in a whitish suit and porkpie hat; and Toad sports a bright green suit sure to attract attention. (Below L-R: Tom Deckman as Mole, Titus Burgess as Toad and Nick Choksi as Rat)
The talented cast has a field day with the material. Nick Choksi is charming as Water Rat, scribbling poems whenever he isn't serving as the wood's Commissioner of Complaints. Tom Deckman is an endearing Mole, intelligent yet suffering low self-esteem, whose search for a place he can call home drives the play's action. Farah Alvin is a perky Mrs. Otter who is stumped when her son, Little Portly (Dana Steingold), announces that he wants to be a cook instead of becoming a fisherman like his father. John Jellison's Dr. Badger may be a pompous know-it-all, but his warm attitude toward Mole, his desire to break Toad's obsession with buying stuff and his love of words redeem him. And Titus Burgess's Toad comes across as a 
real "operator," especially when he extols his love of "things." Kathy Connolly and John Garry do double duty as Rabbits and Weasels, as the former, talking like surfer "dudes" and bullying Mole and as the latter, dressed in black suits and bowler hats (right) as they lurk around Toad Hall with an eye to robbery.
Amanda Dehnert's taut direction makes the action move smoothly and quickly without feeling rushed. The pace is important for an audience of children whose ability to sit for long stretches is unpredictable. The actors' delivery is natural and convincing; they never try to impersonate animals, but we are made aware of each character's unique personality.
A Wind in the Willows Christmas is a worthy addition to the dramatic and musical canon of plays appropriate for the holiday season. Other theaters would do well to pick up the show to produce in the future so that audiences all over the state—nay, the country—can have as wonderful an experience as those who come to Two Rivers Theater this month. Don't miss this clever, inventive, whimsical show.
Note: there are pre-performance activities including a free photo station, coloring tables, and boutique with merchandise for purchase in the lobby prior to every performance. Every performance will include a post-show opportunity for children in the audience to ask questions of the cast.
A Wind in the Willows Christmas will be performed at the Two River Theater Company, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, through December 30. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or www.trtc.org. Tickets are $25 for patrons under age 18; ticket prices for adults are $50-$55. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.
Photos by T. Charles Erickson.
