Dance / Review
Review: In The Willows, Bristol Old Vic
There’s a sinister start to Metta Theatre’s new musical In The Willows, but it’s not a mood that is carried through the performance.
What that beginning does, though, is let the audience know that this is not a fairytale remake of a story about carefree friends. It is in fact a very real commentary on social mobility, set within the framework of the world of Toad, Mole and Ratty.
Our familiar characters all attend a performance school called The Willows. We are introduced to a colourful schoolroom consisting of a camp cross-dressing duck, a burdened Mr Badger (played by Clive Rowe), Dayglo pink rabbits, an owl in a hijab, a mute otter who only signs, a wannabe gangster Toad, an insecure Mole in Doc Martens, and a cocky Ratty complete with an afro, a bumbag and a reputation to protect. The school sits near the Riverbank nightclub and the Wildwoods Estate, where Mr Badger lives in Borrows House. All very clever twists to the original.
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The larger theme of youth struggles is present from the very start, with new girl Mole bullied before Ratty takes her under her wing. Each song – some rapped, some sung – addresses this theme, as they encourage each other to ‘dip your toes in’, find your voice, or escape from the shackles of your past.
Gang leader Chief Weasel is the baddie of the tale, using his knowledge of Mole’s dark past from The Hole – where they both spent time as kids in a penitentiary-style children’s home – to emotionally blackmail her. We watch as Mole battles with herself, her ethics and past to ultimately forge a better life for herself, in parallel with her new friend Ratty.
This journey is told mostly through song – from choral to ragga with some rapping and traditional musical solos in between. These songs are all expertly delivered and the transition between the different styles is not at all jarring, a testament to music director Pippa Cleary.
The lyrics are undeniably the star of the show – the rhyming is unbelievable smooth. Expertly written by Poppy Burton Morgan and Knowle lad Keiran Merrick, they manage to address big youth issues and difficult teen anxiety as well as cracking the odd joke, almost all of it in rhyming couplets.
Dance is peppered throughout at natural points, although I felt that the choreography was limiting, as if the cast wanted to desperately freestyle a bit more after each scene. They eventually got their chance at both a dance battle – used to sort out the social tensions – and at the end of term ‘ball’ at the close of the performance. At the battle, Weasel turns out to be a pretty good break-dancer, whilst Otter uses a curious but brilliant blend of signing and popping, choreographed by Rhimes Lecointe.
Mr Badger’s role is based on an English teacher called Mrs Vernon, someone writer/director Poppy Burton Morgan was inspired by at school. Mrs Vernon was in fact present at this matinee performance – Clive Rowe coaxed her to get to her feet for a well-deserved shout-out and a round of applause.
If this musical, like her, can inspire British youth to fight against social immobility and reach for something bigger, I hope this is the first of many of its kind.
In The Willows tours until June 8. For more info, visit www.mettatheatre.co.uk/in-the-willows
Pic: Richard Davenport
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