Sincerely, Mr Toad
Greenwich Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 10th September 2013
Sincerely, Mr Toad is a new musical which tells the story of Kenneth Grahame who longs to write wild adventure tales and pursue his love of nature and literature. Sincerely, Mr Toad charts the turbulent relationships that inspired and haunted one of literature’s biggest treasures, The Wind in the Willows. I previously saw this production a few weeks ago during its run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in my review I wrote that I was keen to see the show again at the Greenwich Theatre where it is being performed in its entirety.
The main problem that I had with the show last time was that it seemed to move along too quickly, which was due to things being cut as in Edinburgh shows have to be very strict with time limits. However, Sincerely, Mr Toad now has an interval which makes a HUGE difference. The show begins more cheerfully and is fairly lighthearted before becoming very dark after a stranger tries to shoot Kenneth, scarring him for life. The interval nicely breaks up the more lighthearted section with the darker twist and allows the audience more time to digest the goings-on of the piece.
Backing tracks are still used which at times sound slightly mechanical, I think I would even prefer just a pianist! Seeing the show again was great as David Andrew Wilson's score is very memorable and I found myself leaving the theatre humming various melodies. The sound wasn't great but I'm sure this will improve over the week.
Keith Jack stars as Kenneth’s son, Alastair Grahame. It's fascinating to see how his portrayal has developed over just a few weeks. As well as showcasing fantastic vocals, Keith simply understands the character and plays him with innocence meaning you can't help but feel quite protective of Alastair. The cast are strong with many displaying great versatility. Some vocal solos were stronger than others, but during the company numbers the harmonies sounded impressive, particularly as the cast is so small. The company's passion for the piece shines through and they perform with dedication and warmth.
Sincerely, Mr Toad needs to discover its audience. The beginning is patronising at times and verges on feeling like children’s theatre. However, the second act is very dark and most certainly feels more adult. I think the first act needs to be adapted so it's still lighthearted and fun, but without becoming patronising to make it more appealing to a slightly older audience.
The whole historical and political context surrounding Sincerely, Mr Toad is actually very interesting and makes certain scenes incredibly engaging. The most exciting thing about Sincerely, Mr Toad is that it is still very undeveloped and sometimes it makes a nice change to see something brand new instead of the usual, polished West End show.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
Sincerely, Mr Toad runs at the Greenwich Theatre until Saturday 14th September 2013.
Please visit www.selladoor.com for further information and tickets.
Photo Credit: Darren Bell
andrew@westendframe.com
Sincerely, Mr Toad runs at the Greenwich Theatre until Saturday 14th September 2013.
Please visit www.selladoor.com for further information and tickets.
Photo Credit: Darren Bell
My word you are a "generous" reviewer!
ReplyDeleteThe sound was bad - the opening number so unbalanced between vocals and thumping backing track that we almost walked out. The cast are strong but poorly directed so that there is no emotional identification achieved in the first act with the audience. The manic pace and "thin" book and script made the first 15 minutes almost unintelligible. The two "stair book boxes" which comprised the only set were moved around to very poor effect and the fact they had no reverse panels rendering them ugly and obvious, made them both distracting and inappropriate for the outdoor scenes. The show may have improved in Act Two but - like several others - as we escaped at the interval we will never know.