Gardens theatre founder hands oars to son

WIND in the Willows in the Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens has been running for so long the box office sometimes sees four generations of a family lining up for tickets.

The tale of Moley, Ratty, and the irrepressible Mr Toad has been a feature of summer since 1987 in Melbourne and 2000 in Sydney, and there have also been seasons in Adelaide and Perth.

“Audiences take it away in their hearts, they really do, they have this experience with their family that lasts a very long time,” director Glenn Elston said.

He came up with the idea for the outdoor adaptation while living in London in the 1980s, and with the Melbourne season underway for another summer, Elston is finally handing over the oars of Ratty’s rowboat.

His 29-year-old son, Otis, who grew up with the play, will take over as director for the 2022-23 season onwards.

“When I was very young my mum was working box office, and rather than getting babysitters, we just watched the show every day… we loved spoiling the ending for all the other kids,” Otis joked.

He and his brother took turns playing the young otter Portly from around the age of seven, and for Otis that led to stints as stage manager, and now landing the role of director.

Kenneth Grahame’s characters and their friendships are at the heart of the show’s appeal, according to Otis.

The audience can identify with Ratty, Moley, or Toad, and recognise their personality traits in the people around them.

“Even though it’s about animals, it’s really about people. It’s what people are like, we’re greedy, we’re shy, we’re brave, we’re adventurous, and you see that all play out in the characters,” he said.

Over the years the production has stayed largely true to his father’s adaptation, although it has seen a few tweaks, such as the evolution of the character Weasel.

“When we started the Weasel wasn’t an actual actor, he was a puppet, so much lower salaries, much more affordable,” Elston said.

The outdoor setting has come with challenges at times: at one regional production in the Gippsland town of Sale, the wind on the lake was so strong that Ratty’s rowboat entrance onstage became 10 minutes of furious paddling instead, much to the amusement of the audience.

Melburnians will not be surprised to hear that there are more mosquitoes than usual in the gardens this year, but the Elstons promise there is safety in numbers – and insect repellent.

“I’m imagining a giant cloud of Aerogard around the audience, and I think that will offer protection,” Otis said.

His father believes the Wind in the Willows has over the years become a cultural tradition that’s all too rare in Australia.

“Just about every tradition in Australia has to do with sport, but it’s important to have cultural traditions too,” Elston said.

The Wind in the Willows by The Australian Shakespeare Company runs until January 29 at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

– BY LIZ HOBDAY/ AAP