Playwright: Douglas Post. At: City Lit Theatre at Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr. Phone: 773-293-3682; $25. Runs through: Jan. 3
The title song leads us to think that this will be another nostalgic Sondheim-esque walk through a paradise long gone. Fortunately, the gloomy shadow of adulthood passes quickly. Playwright-composer Douglas Post's reputation may rest on his hard-hitting social commentary, but his 1986 adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic story is for the curious child in all of us.
Our setting is an English countryside and our heroes are the naive Mole and urbane Water Rat, comrades whose adventures will encompass a search for the Otter family's lost child, the rehabilitation of the incorrigible Mr. Toad and the thrilling reclamation of a house overrun by scruffy low-lifes. Refreshingly, these anthropomorphic personae are not depicted with literal masks and costumes—motifs showcasing their creators' skill, while reducing the dramatic pace to that of boulders shifting—but dressed as their Edwardian counterparts. ( Think Middle Earth. ) Lest we forget completely that they are animals, however, a toast with teacups is followed by the sound of the celebrants lapping up their libation.
If you must view these creatures through sophisticated eyes, you can see in Toad's selfish hobbies—most of which involve reckless driving—a spoiled and irresponsible rich kid. Or dwell on the class warfare implied in the antipathy between the creatures of the woods and those of the river's edge. And you can assign your own theological interpretation to the pastoral deity whose intervention leads to the rescue of the straying Otter-infant. But you can also opt to ignore subtext altogether and simply enjoy the spectacle mounted by City Lit Theater with style well exceeding its spartan budget.
Alan Donahue's inventive scenic design conjures idyllic island marshes, cozy underground burrows and stately country mansions with easy alacrity, while choreographer Brenda Didier contributes boat-in-the-bottle kinetics ranging from the weasels and ferrets' punk-style hoofing to a free-for-all so intricately energized, you'd think a fight director had been called in. While the ensemble work is superb—note the action in the corners on the group scenes—Thomas M. Shea dominates the stage as the pompous Mr. Toad, flanked by Edward Kuffert as the curmudgeonly Badger, along with Jeremy Trager's sybaritic Ratty and Jessica Anne Cook's inquisitive Mole. What better escape from wintry bluster and holiday bustle than an idyllic summer excursion in company of such congenial companions?
