Kenneth Grahame’s beloved children’s novel The Wind in the Willows has been adapted over the decades as a Disney cartoon; a stop motion animation comedy (featuring Michael Hordern and David Jason); and a film starring the Monty Python troupe, as well as stage plays, musicals, and even operas (by Australia’s own Elena Kats-Chernin).

Now, Canberra audiences will be able to meet motor-mad Mr Toad, curmudgeonly Badger, amiable Mole and elegant Ratty again — in a live radio play.

Following his radio version of Stanley Houghton’s The Dear Departed earlier this year, Bart Meehan, producer and host of ArtSound Radio Theatre, brings the river bank and the wild wood to life as an extraordinary talking-type wireless show.

His script will be performed at the Mill Theatre at Dairy Road from 24 July to 1 August.

“The Wind in the Willows is a story that never ages, and has the characters, humour and adventures that make it a perfect story for radio,” Meehan says.

The narrative follows the escapades of Mr. Toad — his theft of a car, his imprisonment, and his daring escape disguised as a washerwoman — and the battle to rescue Toad Hall from the nefarious weasels.

“Like so many people, I have fond memories of reading the novel as a child, and the nostalgic pull of the characters and their lives on the river has become stronger as I’ve reached a certain age,” Meehan says.

The play will delight audience members young and old, director Lexi Sekuless says.

“The tone feels like a great big giant hug. You can’t stop smiling, because there’s a lovely sweetness and some naïveté and charm to the characters.”

The production will be in the style of old-time radio, Meehan says: actors will stand at microphones, both performing and creating sound effects live.

Those sound effects — Foley, to use the technical term — are “performative and energetic, electric, cheeky and naughty”, Sekuless says.

A washboard and brush make the sound of a train,for instance, while coconuts (in time-honoured tradition) become a horse’s hoofbeats. The noise of Toad’s car is made by an empty drinking can, bent at a particular angle, with a rolled R inside to create the rattle of an antique roadster.

“It’s ridiculous to watch, but also mesmerising,” Sekuless says.

The Wind in the Willows, like The Dear Departed, will be recorded and filmed; it will be broadcast on ArtSound Radio Theatre and uploaded to the ArtSound YouTube channel.

“People may think they’ve seen The Wind in the Willows, but they’ve never seen it like this,” Meehan says. “They may come to the theatre worrying about all that’s going on in the world — but they will leave happy!”

Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, adapted as a live radio play by Bart Meehan. Runs 24 July to 1 August, at The Mill Theatre. Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/live-radio-play-wind-in-the-willows-adapted-by-bart-meehan