The Wind in the Willows Brings the Delightful Nonsense we all Deserve

We live in profoundly serious times. In a world that’s on fire, in the days of late-stage capitalism, sometimes the only thing you can do is be nonsensical. And if you are looking for a glorious ninety-minutes outside of reality, you can find it at Saltfire Theatre’s The Wind in the Willows, running at Finnriver and Fort Worden over the next few weekends.

If you’ve read the book by Kenneth Grahame, you may remember that though a little light on plot, it captures the essence of what it means to be in a season. This theatrical adaptation by Scott Bahlmann, who also plays several characters and painted the backdrops, stays true to the original text by leaning into the whimsicalness without getting too bogged down in plot. Did I always know what was happening in the play? No. Did I mind? Not in the slightest. 

The play opens with Rat and Mole, played by Kirsten Louise Webb and Aimee Kelley respectively, messing about in a boat. Through a series of scenes we see their friendship unfold, and hear about the exploits of the king of nonsense and whimsy, Mr Toad. 

Webb is a fantastic Mole, wholly believable thanks in part to the work of costume designer Libby Wennstrom. Webb has a stunning transition from her time as Mole when she plays the role of the Washer Woman later in the play, a character so flamboyantly different from timid Mole that it took me a moment to realize it was the same actor. 

We’re introduced to our first real crisis in the form of Zach NeSmith’s Otter searching for his lost cub. During the search we end up in a dream sequence-like puppet performance with the God Pan, which added a surrealness to the world that opened viewers up to the possibility that, in this world, everything is poetry and anything is possible. 

Once the baby otter is found and the spirits move on to other realms, Rat and Mole again find themselves floating in their boat, listening to “nothing but the reed’s soft whispering.” That whispering, and all of the excellent sound design that made up for a fairly minimalist set, was done by Ward Serrill. The other outstanding piece of design work is by Genevieve Rose Caskey, who created ingenious pop-up books with giant picnic elements inside.  

The story moves on from the gentle vibey moments on the water with dear friends to the full blown chaos of Mr Toad himself, played by Jason Noltemeier. I don’t know what local theater would do without the talents of Noltemeier; over the last decade I’ve seen him throw himself into dozens of roles with a dazzling energy. His Toad is no different, in turns utterly delighted when he’s getting his way, then completely sorry for himself the moment he’s caught.

One of the most memorable scenes has a dejected and mopey Toad attempting to escape Rat, who is trying to hide him from the consequences of his poor impulse control. Here, director Kerry Christianson’s background in movement and choreography really shines, with Toad and Rat using only a bench to foreshadow Toad’s eventual escape. 

Christianson’s experience with choreography also shows in the gaggle of Bees, Weasels and Swallows played by Rose Biel, Isla Kennedy, Ann McMahon and Stuart Phillips. They expertly moved props around, added to the ambiance, and occasionally stole the show, as they did when they played slightly lost migrating Swallows. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the delightful character work of NeSmith; his Snake was especially good, though the scene with him as a Scottish Water Rat trying to lure Rat into a high seas adventure particularly resonated with me. If I was Rat, I would have been down the docks in a heartbeat, but alas, sometimes friendship calls stronger than adventure, and so Rat joins the fight to save Toad Hall, and, ultimately, the day. 

The Wind in the Willows is playing August 7-16 at Finnriver, and 21-23 at Littlefield Green in Fort Worden. You can find tickets here.