Adapted as a live radio play by Bart Meehan
from the Kenneth Grahame novel
Directed by Lexi Sekuless
Mill Theatre on Dairy Road, Fyshwick to 1 August
Reviewed by Len Power 25 July 2026
First published in 1908, Kenneth Grahame’s children’s novel has captivated young and old alike ever since. Bart Meehan’s adaptation as a live radio play maintains the freshness and essential Englishness of the novel, while sound effects performed live add a fun dimension to this joyful tale.
Narration is provided by Graeme Rhodes as the Radio Host and Maddie Lee as Mole, Helen McFarlane as Rat, Mark Lee as Toad, Chipz Jin as Otter, Richard Manning as Badger and Aleksis Andreitchenko as Daughter all give colourful, extroverted performances and match our memories of the characters from the novel.
Because it’s devised as a radio broadcast, the actors’ voices are the most important aspect of their performances. There is no costuming and each performer has their script in hand and works before a microphone, surrounded by an array of eccentric-looking props used for sound effects. How those seemingly useless objects are used during the play becomes one of the highlights of the show.
Cleverly directed with imagination by Lexi Sekuless, this show is pure entertainment throughout its one hour running time. While members of the audience of a certain age may remember the art of listening to radio plays before television arrived, it was interesting to note that young members of the audience were thoroughly engaged throughout this cleverly realized production.
Photo by Maddie and Mark
This
review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 26 July 2026.
Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.
