The Rose Theatre in Kingston is putting on The Wind in the Willows as an alternative Christmas show this year. Hattie Curl caught up with Mr Toad of Toad Hall (played by actor Jamie Baughan) in the final week of rehearsal
The Wind in the Willows is set to be a magnificent addition to the shows performed at The Rose this year so far, a wonderful cherry on top of the great year that has been 2016. When I spoke to Jamie Baughan, he was in the final week of rehearsals for this epic version of the tale written originally by Kenneth Grahame, and adapted and directed for the Rose by Ciaran McConville.
“We just started tech this morning so it was the first time we saw the set, the beginning of the lighting and all of the projections. A lot of the set is created with the help of projection,” he explains enthusiastically to me over a cup of tea in the Rose Theatre's Circle Café.
Jamie has come straight from a wig fitting and it will be the first wig he’s ever worn. “It’s not itchy! It’s a really nice fit and we’re still tinkering with it. But it’s fun. It’s made of yak hair.” Sounds like he’s being rather treated!
Jamie is playing the iconic role of Toad and is certainly keen to do the character justice. “The role of Toad is one of the most exciting roles I’ve played in my career on stage, certainly.” Rehearsals are always to be treated as a fun process whereby everyone is playful and entertaining, but as Jamie points out, with a character as brilliant as Toad, it’s as if he’s been given a licence to come in and be creative through wreaking havoc and generally cause mischief.
“It’s a really iconic character that I remember from when I read the book as a kid. It comes with a bit of pressure, I guess, to hold on to that playful, anarchic, mischievous spirit!”
Working closely with the director, Ciaran, Jamie has been able to contribute ideas and explore unique interpretations of Toad as a character. The balance between how far they can take Toad’s misdemeanours whilst still keeping him likeable will be tested tonight when they meet their first audience.
The set, by the way, is incredible, and the all-important car will, of course, be making an appearance. “I haven’t been able to drive it yet, but it’s ready. I saw someone driving it for the first time this morning and was to so eager to drive it myself that I nearly pulled them out of it and stole it, à la Toad!” He jokes.
The legendary car has been custom built to fit him and even had to have a limiter fitted on it because it was too fast for the stage. “The car is amazing, as is the rest of the set. The team have done a great job, and it really adds to the buzz throughout rehearsals.”
This buzz sees subsequent addition made to it with the inclusion of the Rose Theatre Youth Company in the production. It will work perfectly for Wind in the Willows because it means that there are enough cast member to really fulfil the needs of the story, such as having flocking of rabbits going across the stage. Jamie goes on to point out how the book is written for children, primarily and therefore it has a huge appeal for young people, so it’s great that there are young people involved.
“I think that when we get young audiences in it’s great that they can look over and see other young people that are playing in the theatre, it’s a real inspiration.”
Prior to this, Jamie was a part original West End cast of Kinky Boots, a show which premiered towards the end of 2015 to great critical acclaim. “I loved Kinky Boots, I had an absolutely amazing time on it.”
Jamie played a villain called Don in Kinky Boots; a far cry from Mr Toad who, as much as he is mischievous, doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body. Whilst Kinky Boots was fairly new, The Wind in the Willows has earned its place as a timeless classic, but Jamie thinks that there are certain similarities between the two shows. “I’d say they’re both really feel good stories,” he muses. “Both are uplifting, hugely entertaining and very humorous.”
“I love the variety of life you have as an actor. That’s one of the reasons I love it. It’s amazing to go from something like Kinky Boots to The Wind in the Willows,” Jamie gushes.
Mr Baughan hadn’t initially intended on becoming an actor, wanting to be a footballer until he was 16, “and then I realised I was way too slow” he laughs. Having been an extrovert as a kid and always a bit of a performer at school, acting seemed to be the natural next step. “I guess I was a bit late coming into it,” he explains, “it was really when I was at drama school, surrounded by other people who wanted to be actors, that I really felt at home. That was when I kind of really started to think that this is for me.”
Jamie certainly does seem to be a natural at acting, mastering many different genres. He featured in a short film called Freezing, a comedic self-described surf travelogue mockumentary, which was filmed over 10 days in Iceland. As well as being a brilliantly understated comedy, the cinematography is phenomenal too, taking in the beautiful scenery that Iceland has to offer.
“That film was so much fun to make,” he tells me, “if you’d have told me before I went to film it some of the things they’d make me do, there’s no way I would have done it,” he laughs, elaborating on how one of these things involved running with wild Icelandic horses - a slightly bizarre, but fun, experience.
The Wind in the Willows is worlds apart from Freezing, but Jamie reaffirms his love for acting and the whole process involved. “I love working on a character, I love being in the theatre, I love working on screen as well; I just love it! I feel very lucky that I’ve managed to have a career in it for 10 years and (he knocks on wood) will hopefully continue to do so.”
I don’t think the knocking on wood is necessary for such a lovely, talented gentleman as Jamie Baughan and I leave The Rose Theatre looking forward to the Wind and the Willows with bated breath and a spring in my step "à la Toad".
You can catch The Wind in the Willows at the Rose Theatre, Kingston Dec 6 - Jan 3. For tickets, visit rosetheatrekingston.org
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