REVIEW - Toad of Toad Hall - The Cotswold Playhouse - Thursday, January 11.

WHETHER The Wind in the Willows was, or still is, a staple in your bedtime reading stock or just a hazy memory of a story about a loveable troop of talking animals, you will not be disappointed by this production by the Cotswold Players.

The core characters are played with a delicate attention to detail.

Jeremy Keck brings energy to the exaggerated and energetic Toad while Geoff Butterworth adeptly enlivens the sage and stern Badger.

And while there are many strong support acts, it is the charming performance of Alan Crockett as the nervous Mole, with an insatiable appetite, that catches the eye.

After the interval the show picks up pace like the out of control car belonging to motoring menace Toad - although there is certainly some mileage in the criticism that this accident as well as the crash involving the horse and cart take place offstage and out of view of the audience but that is down to the script.

The courtroom scene, including the appearance of the inebriated, amphibian abhorring judge, played by Tamash Lal, is certainly a highlight of the evening.

And while Toad of Toad Hall is not considered a musical, the six songs provide light and entertaining interludes to the dialogue.

As the show draws to its conclusion, the clash of the protagonists and the Wild Wooders incorporates a well choreographed fight scene, played out with added drama thanks to strobe lighting.

* The show resumes tonight, Wednesday, and runs until Saturday. A few tickets are still available, contact the box office at Stroud Tourist Information Centre on 01453 760960.