Toad Hall!
Boris Johnson’s offices on the River Thames double as Toad Hall in Steam Industry Free Theatre’s production of the same name, in which Paul Critoph - looking remarkably like Johnson himself - plays Toad.
A scene from Toad Hall at The Scoop at More London Photo: Sheila Burnett
Arriving on a bike, which is timely given Johnson himself only launched his new cycling scheme just the other week, Critoph is a bundle of energy, bringing to life Kenneth Grahame’s character with wit and pantomime-esque qualities in this family show, clearly designed for audience members young and old.
The free production has larger than life characters, dancing and singing, with some familiar chart topping songs, such as Cheryl Cole’s Fight for this Love and Lady Gaga’s Pokerface, rewritten to fit the show and successfully getting the audience clapping along. A scene in which Critoph, disguised as a washerwoman, sings I Dreamed a Dream in a Susan Boyle parody is very funny, and demonstrates the actor’s comic abilities.
Critoph is supported by a strong cast including Alan J Mirren as Chief Weasel, who is leading a plot to steal Toad Hall from Toad. He is suitably sinister, and clearly relishes playing the villain and interacting with the audience. The production itself is visually pleasing, opening with the cast scattering giant pond leaves on the stage, and puppets used to create frogs and other pond animals.
This sets the scene for the hour-long show ahead, which is entertaining, snappy and definitely one for all the family this summer.
Production information
- By:
- from Kenneth Grahames's The Wind in the Willows, by The Steam Industry
- Management:
- The Steam Industry
- Cast:
- George Couyas, Taj Atwal, Paddy Crawley, Paul Critoph, Alan J Mirren, Katerina Jugati, Elizabeth Crawford, Danielle Fenemore, Debi Li Gilby, Donna Harfield, Gemma Sandzer
- Director:
- Phil Willmott and Ollie Fielding
- Design:
- Charlie Cridlan, also costumes
- Sound:
- Theo Holloway
- Lighting:
- Hansjorg Schmidt
- Musical direction:
- Joe Fredericks, who also composes
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Scoop London
- August 6-September 5 2010
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