Babes in the Wood

For their 37th performance, the Group this year transported us to Sherwood Forest, which entailed much painting of trees on the part of the set designers but the result was well worth all their efforts.  Stage Manager Bob McLennan was pressed into action as King Richard before embarking on his own particular type of crusade back-stage, leaving us in the hands of the villainous Prince John, played with an appropriate amount of depravity and some humour by Anthony Smith.  That he failed to get his way was, of course, due to Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and, on this occasion, a girl). Lydia McCudden gave a sound, thigh-slapping performance as Robin with good support from the other outlaws. In a week when the Church of England was wrestling with its stance on sexuality, Friar Tuck’s revelation that she was really a girl with something of a passion for the (not so) Little John was an amusing touch.  There were good performances from Rosie Dudman and Jess Plunkett as the eponymous babes who have to be rescued from the clutches of a badly mis-named Madam Eversonice, in which role Courtney Bethell provided opportunities for more hissing and booing. These youngsters will find that they will seldom again be required to eat part of the set but all credit to the designers for providing that facility in the gingerbread house. Ryan Stocks made a likeable Nanny Knickers and Catherine Colman as Joker Joe had an apparently endless supply of amusing riddles and conundrums.

Sadly, I again found it difficult to distinguish all the lyrics in the musical items, except for the revised version of the pantomime favourite, in this case re-titled “If I were not in Robin’s gang”. The backing to this item did not drown the singers and it was a good vehicle for each of the outlaws to sing a verse, their accompanying actions carefully designed to cause minimum problems for their colleagues.

The Group continues to provide much-needed pleasure to lighten the dark January days and, in the process, to raise money for several local charities. I am sure that in so doing the members derive great benefit from the fun and hard work involved in putting it all together. And isn’t that what amateur theatre is all about?

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