I have vague memories of the animated movie; fleeting images come to mind that seem mostly centered on being frightened at the crazed look in Mr. Toad’s eyes as he wildly careens down the road reveling in his addiction, the speed of his motor-car. Yet when I came across The Wind in the Willows while browsing the Barnes and Noble Classics series on my Nook, it occurred to me with a start that I had never actually read this classic set of bedtime stories, written by Kenneth Grahame for his son. I expected a quick read that would do little more than check an as-of-yet-overlooked box.

Perhaps I simply did not understand the many-layered beauty of the story as a child, or maybe I was too frightened of Mr. Toad at whatever age it was that I saw the movie to remember anything else, or maybe the film was not really up to the task of conveying what I now find exquisite about this work of children’s literature. I suspect a combination of all three. What I can say is, that I have emerged from reading this book straight through as one wakes from a pleasant dream.

Sudden and magnificent, the sun’s broad golden disc showed itself over the horizon facing them; and the first rays, shooting across the level water-meadows, took the animals full in the eyes and dazzled them. When they were able to look once more, the Vision had vanished, and the air was full of the carol of birds that hailed the dawn [108].

Grahame uses evocative and flowing language, always centered on the natural world and the importance of its connection and rhythms. The animals’ intuitive closeness with their surroundings form the backdrop of a series of adventures by the protagonist Mole and his friends, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad. As improbable and silly as the plot turns often were, I found myself willingly suspending disbelief in exchange for the privilege of absorbing more of the beautiful expressions as fast as I could:

Their old haunts greeted them again in other raiment, as if they had slipped away and put on this pure new apparel and come quietly back, smiling as they shyly waited to see if they would be recognized again under it [105].

Interspersed with the lovely, poetic dialog of nature and animals are insightful remarks on human society and behavior. These run not only along the lines of commentary on mankind’s impermanence upon the backdrop of the world – “ ‘Who can tell?,’ said the Badger. ‘People come – they stay for a while, they flourish, they build – and they go. It is their way. But we remain.’” [73] – but also in caricature of very human types.

Mole’s naïve, wide-eyed view of the world; Water Rat’s moody, poetic musings and sharp cunning; the earthy, country simplicity of Badger’s generosity and strength; Toad’s outrageously inflated conceitedness, masking affable charm and landed refinement – in these portraits we easily find parts of ourselves, shades of others we know, and perhaps a bit of who we aspire to be. I have, I admit, perhaps a bit more of Toad in me than I’d like; but I still connected most eagerly with the Rats – both the major character of Water Rat, as well as in the following urging by a lesser character, the Sea Rat:

Take the Adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes! ‘Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of the old life and into the new! Then some day, some day long hence, jog home here if you will, when the cup has been drained and the play has been played, and sit down by your quiet river with a store of goodly memories for company [135].

There is even a gem for actors, composed as succinctly as Boleslavsky might have done in admonishing his Creature to strive for “[…:] that happy grace which is the last thing the skilled actor shall capture – the natural grace which goes with perfect unconsciousness of observation” [77].

If you did read this book as a child, I must say I envy you a bit; I would love to know how I would have perceived it had I read it without whatever present perspective I have. If you have not, please do yourself a favor and track down a copy. Even if you did read it as a child, read it again, for the sake of what insights you may have missed in your younger years.

Having now read this book and written this review all in one sitting, I am tempted to either read or write again immediately. But I think shall instead yield to Mole’s ways in this instance, pause to simply reflect on life: “[…:] and with his ear to the reed-stems he caught, at intervals, something of what the wind went whispering so constantly among them” [18].

What a marvelous book. Maybe I just read it in a good mood or read way too much into it, but I make no hesitation in giving it a full five-star rating.

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“Brooklyn” is a beautiful novel by Colm Tóibín that explores broadly human themes in a well-portrayed specific setting. When Ellis, a young Irish girl, leaves her home town of Enniscorthy for the wide world of New York in America, she is awkward, wide-eyed, and ill-prepared for what greets her on the other side of the Atlantic. When she returns to visit years later in the wake a family tragedy, her nostalgia for the past and perspective on the present are both shaken.

This novel will connect with any of those who have left home, be it for university, a job, or a loved one, to the next town over or to a far-off country with foreign customs and people. After such a move, there is a strange, sad, yet beautiful feeling that comes when you visit the place of your growing up after many years, and realize that it and you have changed, and changed separately. That simultaneous rush of fear and excitement, loss and opportunity, memory and expectation, is captured honestly in this novel.

I consider this novel well-worth reading. If you have a Nook, let me know, I would be happy to eLoan it to you!

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Beau’s primary character is “The Teacher”, the vessel by which Boleslavky’s acting philosophy is conveyed.  “The Creature,” played by Emily as her primary character, is the subject – the exhibit by which the lessons are demonstrated.  Starting from her first, awkward audition and naive, starry-eyed hope for a chance to shine, we follow the Creature as she slowly develops her inner talents into a successful professional career on the stage.  Both Bridges play several supporting roles.

While the first objective is clearly to present Boleslavky’s explanation of method, this objective is conveyed through the heartwarming evolution of the relationship between mentor and pupil.  The lessons, the arguments, the egos, the personal sacrifice, and the tenderness of a long-standing friendship in the arts grow and blossom between the Teacher and Creature.

The unit set is well-designed, with softer fresnel lighting in the centerstage areas to adjust mood, with a few gobos used to indicate outdoor scenes in a forest or a starry night. Isolated areas, cleanly and flatly lit using warm ellipsoidals down left and right, are fixed around changing screens behind which modesty can be preserved.  They cleverly serve as “actor’s ready rooms” where the audience is given a “backstage” look at the two actors as they switch costumes from scene to scene.

While Beau Bridges’ acting is of course seasoned, powerful, and assured, I actually found myself more rapt at Emily’s absolutely exquisite control over her physical body and her inner self.  Not only does she play multiple roles, but must also convincingly convey the development of the Creature over time; she is acting the part of an actor, which is always a challenge, and in this case it is one that changes significantly in style and skill.  In one scene, the Creature is having trouble with one of Ophelia’s speeches in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the one in which she is spurned by the affected prince of Denmark.  Her initial effort is passable, but after instruction from the Teacher, her second performance is positively riveting… I did not blink once, nor could I remove my eyes from her face throughout the entire monologue.

In a scripted intro spoken directly to the audience, Beau Bridges pulls out a worn copy of “Acting: The First Six Lessons” and describes the personal story of how the book has been handed down through multiple generations of his family.  While the story is interesting and the information discussed certainly contributes background to the Q&A conversation after the show, I felt that it was very out of place as a pre-show.  I would have greatly preferred it if the actors would have jumped right into the story, while still maintaining the casual (and welcome) indifference to the fourth wall that pervades the production.

This, along with a desire to see more of what the Teacher actually learns from the Creature (as opposed to a mainly one-way street), are my only major complaints with what was a very informative and inspiring production.  While I do not personally agree with several aspects of Boleslavky’s philosophy on acting, the majority of the principles expounded in his book (and, consequentially, this play) are pleasing to reflect on and largely applicable to any artistic medium.

“Acting: The First Six Lessons” runs at Theatre West for two more weekends, closing May 16th.  If you are at all associated with the craft of theatre, do yourself a favor and attend one of these last showings.  You will walk away with immediate food for thought on your present endeavors, and likely retain a more long-term shift in perspective for your future artistic efforts.

(And yes, I did immediately order the book from B&N.)

By far, the most engaging part of this novel was the depiction of the hardship and fear present in daily life under the Stalinist state machine; the transformation of the protagonist from one wholly loyal to this system into one profoundly disgusted with its human implications is interesting to observe. The final showdown (and any thriller worth anything must have a final showdown) makes an attempt at exploring deeper issues; but while it checks all the boxes for what constitutes a final showdown, I found it to be ultimately rather anti-climatic.

This novel is an fairly entertaining, mildly suspenseful, predictable, but worthwhile distraction for a couple late nights in the library… and not much more.

As an addendum, this novel does carry the distinction of being the first I purchased and read on my new B&N Nook ebook reader… review of that device coming soon.

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rating: 5 of 5 stars
There is nothing I am capable of writing about this book that would be anywhere near adequate to describe its magnificence. I am soundly of the opinion that this should be required reading for any history buff, or indeed, citizen, of these United States. May I add, that if I end my career as one-twentieth the public servant as the subject of this epic biography, then I will have rendered the most good to one’s country and people that any mere mortal can hope to achieve in civil service.


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