London Palladium’s The Wind in the Willows gets cinema run

The Wind in the Willows: The New Musical starring Denise Welch and Gary Wilmot to get Easter cinema screenings.

Following a strictly limited summer season at the London Palladium, The Wind in the Willows: The New Musical is set to delight audiences of all ages, as it is screened in cinemas across the UK & Ireland over the Easter period. The multi-camera production of the much-loved musical adventure will be screened in stunning surround sound and in breathtaking high definition, bringing one of the highlights of London’s West End to local multiplexes and giving everyone the best seat in the house.

Captured live from the London Palladium, The Wind in the Willows stars Rufus Hound as the amazing Mr Toad, Simon Lipkin as Ratty, Craig Mather as Mole, Neil McDermott as Chief Weasel, Denise Welch as Mrs Otter, Gary Wilmot as Badger and the entire West End company.

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s treasured novel, The Wind in the Willows was brought to the stage by producer Jamie Hendry in a new musical adaptation with book by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and Olivier Award-winning composer and lyricist duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Audiences will join Ratty, Badger, Mole and the impulsive Toad as they embark on a series of riotous adventures spiralling from Toad’s insatiable need for speed! The production features eye-popping beautiful design, exuberant choreography, a gloriously British score, comedy, heart and thrills, sure to delight families across the country.   

Rufus Hound is best known as a comedian however his theatre credits include Don Quixote (RSC) and the original West End production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre). While television acting roles include BBC One’s Doctor Who and Drunk History for Comedy Central. He has also been a regular guest on comedy panel shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks on BBC Two and Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats.

Denise Welch is best known for her television acting parts which include Granada Television’s Coronation Street, Waterloo Road for BBC One and Central Television’s Soldier Soldier. Theatre credits include Steel Magnolias (UK Tour) and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Royal Exchange).

Gary Wilmot first rose to fame as a contestant on ATV’s New Faces, with presenting credits since then including Showstoppers for the BBC One as well as the beeb’s children’s game show So You Want To Be Top. His extensive musical theatre credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre and UK Tour), Oklahoma! (UK Tour), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium). He recently starred in Dick Whittington (London Palladium).

Simon Lipkin most recently starred in the world premiere of Nativity The Musical (UK tour) while Neil McDermott is perhaps best known for portraying Ryan Malloy in EastEnders for BBC One. His stage credits include Shrek The Musical (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane) and Craig Mather’s theatre credits include Marius in Les Misérables (West End).

The stage production is produced by Jamie Hendry, MJE Productions and Josh Gilinski, in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Wind in the Willows is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with choreography by Aletta Collins, set and costume design by Peter McKintosh, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Gareth Owen, wig and makeup design by Linda McKnight, orchestrations by Chris Jahnke and David Shrubsole and musical supervision by Simon Lee.

Participating cinemas and booking links can be found at www.willowsmusical.com