2026 Audience Reviews

Company: Melancholics Anonymous
Show: Watership Down
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

A stunning “watered down” Watership Down

As a Watership Down fan, I was apprehensive about what was in store for this musical. Luckily, I have been pleasantly surprised. Plot: Though it differs greatly from the book, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With the time constraints that this production had, I actually applaud their fabulous job of keeping the main message and including all the necessary scenes and characters. Even with this massive down-sizing, the plot flows smooth and clean. Pacing: The musical ran very, very fast. Of course! They had to pack a ~474 page, 4 part book into one small hour. This fast pace is almost the opposite of the original source material’s slow tense journey. Still, I think this fast pace was a good change. After all, a very slow, drawn-out story doesn’t make the most captivating theatre. With this production, I loved how there was never a dull moment or lull in action. It was certainly fast but not rushed. Music: Music is one thing that can make or break a musical production. It can either be very captivating and draw the story along, or it can be distracting and annoying. At first, for a story that makes a point that rabbits never sing or dance, I was worried how they were going to pull this off. Amazingly, the songs were enjoyable and meaningful. They weren’t annoying or distracting by any means! All were placed well and had a purpose; nothing felt forced. The folk style of music fits Watership Down wonderfully. Another kind of music that often gets over looked in theatre is the ambiences background music that is played throughout the performance, with no singing accompanying it. Here, they utilized it perfectly. The almost constant soft strings made it so there was no awkward silence. Fantastic. Acting/Characters: Amazing acting and singing. Very clear projection from all actors, no mics needed. Some British accents would have made it more convincing that they were in England. But nevertheless, everyone was very confidant in the characters they were meant to be playing. The character performances were very consistent despite some personality changes from the book. The acting and dialogue made it very clear these were rabbits, even if the costumes left a lot up to interpretation. I especially liked Kehaar’s acting. Even with no wings or beak, there was no doubt he was a bird! Set/World building/Lighting/Visuals: I had a hard time telling that this was placed in the lush, rolling downs of England. But considering, the set was basically nothing due to limitations from the Fringe. I can’t be too harsh. Even so, the creativity forced by these limitations made for some of the MOST impressive visual effects. I LOVED the simple blue cloth as the river! From acting alone I could tell they were cold and struggling in an immense amount of water. The use of lights too, were phenomenal. I loved the use of dark and the red light to show fiver’s visions. Very engrossing and well placed. Spectacular dog puppet! Costumes My biggest critique is that of the costumes. For me, they don’t make much sense. This is a story about rabbits. But, they aren’t just any rabbits, throughout the whole book the rabbits of Watership do nothing anthropomorphic. They are rabbits through and through. And, I feel as if this fact is an important one; it’s what distinguishes this work from other rabbit or xenofiction works; a realism one doesn’t see too often. So, this should be shown visually. Dressing up a non-anthropomorphic rabbit character like an Englishmen defeats the whole symbol. Another detail that I can’t help but notice, is that this character design of Watership Down has been done many times before. Matter of fact, in stage productions, it’s the ONLY thing that’s been done before: people dressed as Englishmen, sometimes with rabbits ears on. So, regardless if the costume designer took inspiration from the other plays, it’s just not that creative or compelling. More importantly, having just the rabbit ears isn’t enough to really convince the audience that they are rabbits. An artistic approach similar to “cats” would make much more sense for Watership Down. With just ears, the hopping around, and arms to chest, they could be kangaroos for all I know! Same with Kehaar’s design: I love the vest, I love the colors, please give him some wings. From the costume designs alone, I would have had absolutely no idea what he was. Still, don’t disregard the Englishmen costumes, they could be used as a clever symbol. For instance, you could put Cowslip or Woundwort in something similar because it’s humans who they represent. Cowslip and Woundwort both share characteristics of humans that are alien and repulsive to rabbits, I would love to see that. To the novel: It was definitely a big change to make this into a musical. A medium that certainly entails dancing and singing of rabbits, for a novel that has none. So, overall it didn’t seem really “Watership Down” to me. I would have loved to see more of the folklore, its message on death, and a more faithful representation of the characters. These are all small critiques compared to the very big, well-made picture. So, despite its many differences from the book, this production has kept some Watership Down’s original messages. Specifically, that of mans effect on nature and wildlife. Conclusion: This production is a wonderful addition to all the works of art adapted from Watership Down. Richard Adams himself thought his book couldn’t have been made faithfully into a film. And yet, thought fondly of it; seeing it as a separate piece of art. I think the same now. It may have left this or that out, but with the fantastical visuals and wonderful music it’s has created a world of its own. And I think that makes it just as valuable. -A devoted Watership Down fan