Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Making Mole Music: Kenneth Grahame's novel, 'The Wind in the Willows,' has been adapted for the Children's Musical Theater.
Down by the Riverbank
There's nothing half so much fun as SJCMT's production of 'The Wind in the Willows'
By Michele Leung
Today is a vocal run-through for the cast of The Wind in the Willows, which means musical director Jeff Amorosa is in charge. However, three of his rabbits keep missing their cues, and he's got a problem hearing over the din of raccoons and squirrels jabbering amongst themselves. "There's too much noise in here. I need you to whisper more," Amorosa chides his cast.
Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 tale of Mole, Water Rat, Badger and their exasperating friend Toad has been adapted for the San Jose Children's Musical Theater's 8- through 13-year-old thespians. Joining the four main characters are an assortment of forest companions, a crowd of French spectators, a brigade of Keystone Kops and a legion of evil stoats.
Evil what?
"Stoats. They're like weasels," explains Megan Araujo, 13, who plays the chief stoat.
One aspect of the adaptation that appeals to several of the undersized troupers is the silly gags. A favorite is the one about the judge and the rubber chicken. Then there's the duck in the pond joke. "It's dumb, but really fun," says Kristy Guertin, 11, of the production.
Willow Glenite Mimi Robinson, 8, already a seasoned actress with three plays under her belt, relishes her role as a bumbling cop. "We fall down a lot and we hardly know what to do," she says.
Sister Briana, 10, a fellow cop, likes that she gets to step into someone else's shoes. "It's fun to act and play other people who you're not," she says.
Lest anyone thinks this is all play and games, the cast will show that they are hard at work and have mastered their responsibilities like professionals. First, there are the physical demands. After all, every good actor's stamina must be tested. Glenite Madison Slinker, 13, isn't fazed by the fact that she needs to carry one of her cast-mates, Toad, on her shoulders. "They had asked me if I could do cartwheels and carry somebody," she says. "I'm used to it because I carry my little brother a lot. I don't drop him. I've done it for a long time."
Then there are the nerves of steel. No opening-night jitters here. Mimi Robinson says she's not nervous because she "knows it all already." What's her trick in case she does forget a line? "I just think of it."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Riversong: Willow Glen resident Brittany Ogle and musical director Jeff Amorosa rehearse one of the songs for the show.
Cast members even sound like old pros. These kids have been around the industry for some time and know a good production when they see one. According to Ethan Brooks, 10, SJCMT ranks at the top compared to other theater organizations he's been with. "There's a lot of singing and dancing here. They're very organized, too," he says.
"They have professional [directors], and they have more experiences," adds Adam Edwards, 11, with nary a prompting from the grown-ups.
Friendship is central to Grahame's story, and the cast isn't too young to learn the applications of the book's theme. Slinker, who is one of the older children, says she has made a lot of friends while acting and sees some of the same people return to more productions.
The experience has been just as rewarding to those who are new. Ten minutes after the end of the interview, corny-joke fan Guertin returns with something on her mind. "I forgot to tell you something. At first, I didn't have any friends here. But now I do," she says, running off to join her peers for break.
After a brief recess, some of the cast regroups to work on vocals.
"The joy we feel today," they sing, "like"--wait, what are the words? They sing too fast.
The Brooks brothers, Ethan and Quentin, 9, need to hum through the entire song before getting to the appropriate line. "Ba bum bumbum bumbum, troubles disappear, mummum mummum mum, the joy we feel today"--ah, here we go--"the joy we feel today like the wind in the willows will help you on your way."
"You're supposed to hold 'way' for really long," says Ethan.
Then they go back to the steady hum of conversation, while the poor rabbits struggle to find the right beat at the piano.
'The Wind in the Willows' plays March 2-5 at the Montgomery Theater, at Market and San Carlos streets. Ticket prices are $13 adults, $10 children. For more information, call 288-KIDS.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
