For two weeks during August and September the Liverpool Theatre Festival have brought an outstanding array of shows to The Bombed Out Church and on Sunday it was time for a family friendly performance, Wind in the Willows.
This beautiful adaptation of the well known children’s book follows Mole, Ratty and Badger as their day goes from peaceful picnic in Wild Wood to full throttle adventure as they save Toad and his car from deep trouble.
It is a fast paced show performed by only four actors and it has everything your little ones need to keep them entertained including rabbits in hats, weasels in waistcoats, water guns and music galore. Despite having only 4 actors there are actually more than 4 characters which seems a little confusing but the way the cast transitioned from one character to another is seamless and easy to understand, even for the smaller audience member’s.
What makes this particular performance of Wind in the Willows extra special is that the actors bring the show to life by using the entire theatre as their stage. This means that on numerous occasions the actors are performing in the isles and right in front of the audience, making the children feel like they to are part of the show. This technique is also very good at keeping the younger children engaged as it means they don’t need to sit completely still staring at a small stage they can look around and fidget a bit more, which was perfect for our two year old.
No only were the cast fantastic during the performance but at half time instead of taking a break they took the time to do a meet and greet with the audience that included lots of cheering and a few Q and A’s with the older children. This proved very popular with our kids, especially the youngest.
There were lots of laugh out loud moments during this show however one moment in particular that all three of our children loved was when Toad crashed boat and got drenched when a bucket of water was thrown all over him! Luckily this particular part took place on the stage so there was no need to jump out of the way.
This fabulously funny show is perfect for a family activity and a brilliant excuse to re visit the old classic, Wind in the Willow, when you get home too. We took three children aged 2, 9 and 12 and although all three enjoyed it we would say that the ideal age would be between 2 and 7.
There is still time to catch a show at the Liverpool Theatre Festival including another family friendly show on Saturday 10th, The Forgotten Forest, so don’t delay book today!