By Emily Fox · Editor-in-Chief
Grove City College’s Theatre Program is preparing “Wind in the Willows” for the opening night of the fall musical next week.
“Wind in the Willows” is a musical chronicle of the adventures of friends Mole and Rat as they face the perils of the Wild Wood in search of advice from the wise Badger. They hope that he can help them save their friend, Mr. Toad, from his own reckless pursuits, all while being pursued by a gang of “Wild Wooders” led by the Chief Weasel. Worse, they must take back Mr. Toad’s home from a hostile takeover by the Wild Wooders, who plan to eat Mrs. Otter’s daughter, Portia.
The musical is based on a book written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908. It was adapted from the book by Julian Fellowes and features a score and lyrics written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. It first met the stage in 2016 and now, almost 10 years later, it will be performed in Ketler Auditorium.
The cast has been rehearsing almost every night since the beginning of September. Most of the preparation has gone towards navigating all of the show’s literal moving parts. A caravan, a motorcar, rolling hills, a mansion and two boats have all been built for the production.
“In a way, the world of the show is its own character, for which I give tremendous credit to Dan Wolfe and his scene shop team, Jonathan Bucci and his crew of student technicians and Dr. Kristin Barbour and the incredible students in the costume shop,” William Mueller said. Mueller is the lead actor playing Rat and the assistant vocal director. “Like all the best children’s books, (“The Wind in the Willows”) uses inviting imagery to communicate important truths, and, because of that, I think it can connect with audience members of any age.”
Another essential component that works with the set to create the magical woodland world is the pit orchestra. The show features complex music of various styles that members of the pit have had to learn, including classic Broadway, jazz, British choral music and rock.
“The music for this show is very difficult due to its use of various styles of music, challenging rhythms and frequent key changes within the songs and from song to song. There are sections that are in C flat major, which is a very challenging key even for professional musicians to play,” pit conductor and Department of Music Chair Jeffrey Tedford said.
“In addition, this is the first time GCC has used ‘keyboard patches’ which connect our digital pianos to computers to add additional sounds and parts through MIDI connection. This is frequently done in most Broadway shows today to reduce the number of instrumentalists in the pit. This has added a coordination element that our two keyboardists are dedicated to mastering,” Tedford elaborated.
Tedford also mentioned that because the show was released in the 2010s, the college is working directly with the publisher to fix issues within the parts of the music. The live music is sure to be a draw for students considering coming to the show.
“There is nothing like live music. Many professional ballet companies and other organizations have transitioned to pre-recorded music for their shows. We are dedicated to providing an authentic visual and aural experience for our audience, and the pit orchestra enhances it through the physics of sound and the energy that live music provides,”
Tedford said.
The show will debut at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 in Ketler Auditorium in the Pew Fine Arts Center. It will continue to run Nov. 6 and 7 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 4 p.m.
“I would invite everyone who comes to see it to enjoy the colorful world, the diverse cast of animals with a respectively diverse set of catchy songs and to consider this line from one of the show’s most pivotal musical numbers: ‘And at our journey’s end, I hope all rifts can mend; on love you can depend. A friend is still a friend,’” Mueller said.
