Robin Hood

This was the first of your productions I’ve been able to attend – I was sorry to have to missed ‘Goodbye Mr. Tom’ earlier this year – and It was good to meet and be made so welcome by Karen.

The scenery was fairly simple and the story started with the villagers on the streets of Nottingham. Adult costumes were appropriate but the children’s were too uniformly cut into rags.

Amanda Vaughan was good. She picked up cues quickly, played to the audience when appropriate and gave a confident and winning performance as Robin Hood. As Much, the millers son, Feon Neville oscillated from being lively and engaging to being rather too laid back, but he does show promise. Perhaps more understanding of the role would have helped him to be more consistent. Having taken over at short notice Adriana Barnes did very well as Maid Marion and her daughter Karis Barnes ('The Enchantress of the Woods’) gave a calm and secure performance and very much looked the part. Both ladies costumes were attractive.

The Dame, Nanny Nora Tittle Tattle, looked quite splendid. Peter Howitt’s make-up and costumes were great but his tattoo was visible without stage makeup.

Representing the baddie of the piece, The Sheriff of Nottingham, Robert Gibbons was scary, although as the villain in this pantomime he could have been even more so. Wonderful that he can play the piano accordion and what a pleasant singing voice he has!

Nikit and Scarper, played by Gillian Freeman and Caroline Croucher respectively had a few slow pick ups but they mostly worked well together and provided some comic moments.

Roger Thomas looked terrifying as The Soothsayer and despite his mask, his dialogue could be heard clearly.

The other named characters supported the principals and added to the story - I enjoyed Greg Freeman as Friar Tuck - and it was good to see the children taking part. Their musical number dressed as bugs etc; was very cute and the choice of music was varied.  ‘Reach for the Stars’ was a good number at the start of act two but if a character is unable to sing, why not ‘talk’ the song rather than use a recording, which I believe is what happened with the Dame’s song. I liked the interlude when Robin and Maid Marion overacted to the story.

The scenery in the Sherrif’s bedroom was very good.  Projecting his ‘nightmare’ onto the screen was a clever modern and comic touch.

Direction on such a small stage with so little room is not easy but Karen rose to the challenge. Choreography was fine but in some of the songs it was rather muddled.

Your programme is comprehensive and the cover is eye-catching.S.A.D.S

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.