The Window in The Willows

The Window in The Willows
(Regent's Park)
***

There was not a willow in sight - and barely a breath of wind - on the scorching afternoon that I went to see this jolly new production of Kenneth Grahame's enduring riverside idyll.

But you'd be hard pressed to find a more appropriate location for the adventures of Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger and the leafy bowers of the Open Air Theatre add their own enchantment to this muchloved children's classic.

Don't expect the wry wit of Alan Bennett's National Theatre version. David Conville and David Gooderson's adaptation is a much less subtle affair, but well suited to the broad humour of Laura Baggaley's panto-style production. The tots squealed and cheered as Jamie Beamish's pompous, public school Toad careered through the crowd. And if his little red car was noticeably foot-powered there was, at least, a giant cut-out train to earn a round of applause.

True, there's no hint of the darker side of what Jonathan Miller called 'an old Thames-side story of country house fascism'. But those seeking uncomplicated family fun will not feel short-changed. Poop poop!