FRINGE 2013 – Mr Badger tells The Wind in the Willows – Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Everyone knows that kids are the hardest critics to please. Judging by this criterion, Chris John as Mr Badger won the 2013 Fringe Festival critics choice award, because he managed to enthral a very picky pair of 4 and 6 year old sisters and their stepmum and daddy.

Presented under the shade of an enormous tree in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, this delightful one-man show is, as the title suggests, a retelling of the classic Kenneth Grahame story the Wind in the Willows by one of the central characters, Mr Badger. Chris John’s charming – and to my surprise put-on – Scottish lilt transported the tiny audience from a stinking hot Adelaide morning straight to an English mid-winter fireside, where Mr Mole, Mr Toad, Mr Badger and co get up to all kinds of mischief.

Highlighting his tale with absolutely stunning hand-drawn dioramas which perfectly illustrated the scene whilst whetting the imagination of all children in the audience, Mr Badger’s show is not to be missed for children between 3 – 8 years old. And their parents will also enjoy a whimsical return to story-time from long ago.

‘Mr Badger was a good storyteller’ – Leila, 6 years old

‘Mr Badger’s show looked lovely’ – Anais, 4 years old

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