IN THE Willows is an explosive new British musical with soaring vocals and spectacular street dance,.

The production comes to York Theatre Royal from April 16 – 20 with a cast led by Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe, deaf street dancer Chris Fonseca (The Greatest Dancer) and Seann Miley Moore (The X Factor).

Kenneth Grahame’s well-loved tale The Wind In the Willows is transformed into musical written and directed by Poppy Burton-Morgan (Jungle Book, UK and international tour) with music from award-winning composer Pippa Cleary (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Chocolate Factory; Prodigy, St James Theatre) and ground-breaking hip-hop composer Keiran Merrick.

Choreography is by Rhimes Lecointe.

Mole’s first day in The Willows. The kids look a bit rough. Surely Mr Badger will look out for her, while hip-hop cool girl Rattie, rich kid rapper Toad and street-dancing Otter teach her the ways of the Riverbank.

But when Toad gets locked up for joyriding, the Weasel Clan break in and squat his pad, the Pool Hall. Now it’s only a matter of time before Chief Weasel reveals Mole’s dark secret.

The production incorporates British Sign Language (BSL) into the choreography and BSL interpreted performances for a unified production for deaf and hearing audiences alike.

Metta’s Artistic Director Poppy Burton-Morgan said: “Representation is at the heart of our storytelling, so we’re thrilled to develop that further in In the Willows – integrating BSL into the choreography and providing a platform for the extraordinary Chris Fonseca, a deaf street dancer who plays Otter.

“The show is full of trans-positive and body positive role models and we hope that in seeing themselves reflected on stage we’re empowering our audiences as we entertain them.”

Clive Rowe said: “From the moment I was first introduced to In the Willows I knew it was something I had to be a part of – a classic piece of British theatre given the voice and unquenchable energy of the modern generation.”

In the Willows is produced by Metta Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre, supported by the Arts Council

Tickets are available from the York Theatre Royal box office on 01904 623568 or go to yorktheatreroyal.co.uk