Wind in the Willows at the Polka Theatre, Wimbledon

Disclosure: We were invited to see this show for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

As a family we love going to the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon and it’s probably the most family friendly theatre we have ever been to – with children at the heart of everything they do. So the children were pretty excited when I told them we were going to the Polka Theatre to see The Wind in the Willows – a story they weren’t familiar with but we were all excited to see for the first time live on stage.

It’s been 110 years since the Wind in the Willows was written and yet the story is timeless – full of adventure, friendship and love of the natural environment. It follows Mole finding out what life is like above the ground with the help of his new friend Ratty. They share stories of their lives and find common ground, building a solid friendship as the story moves on.

Wind in the Willows shows the changing seasons and the story of Toad and his journey from a fad crazed destroyer of the environment and upsetter of friends to realising that he’s been wrong about so many things. With the help of Ratty and Mole, Toad learns to become kinder, respectful and humble. The brave trio recapture Toad Hall from the Wild-Wooders whilst coming face to face with weasels, squirrels and even a human.

We found the show to be so immersive with flying insects and birds moving around the audience and  snow appearing around us. There was so much atmosphere, realistic sets and costumes, great songs and really lovable characters. It was a show that kept the whole family entertained.

We loved seeing the Wind in the Willows. It’s one of the longest shows that we’ve seen with the children and so Polka Theatre’s suggested age of 5+ is about right – although there did seem to be a lot of younger children in the audience. LP and Little Man stayed engaged throughout and really got into the story. There was a welcome interval halfway through at a really natural break in the story and it was the perfect length to go to the toilet and grab a drink.

The Wind in the Willows was a really lovely show and a great way to spend an afternoon. If you’re looking for something to see as a family then we can’t recommend this enough. You can find more information and show times here.