Robin Hood

Hull Savoyards

Robin Hood or the Merry Men and the Maid

 

Directed by Zoe Sellens and Musical Director Martin Lay

Bricknell Avenue Methodist Church

1st December 2023

 

The legendary Robin Hood has been told so many times and in many great ways and this new, fun adaptation of the heroic legend was another one to add to add to the pile. Zoe Sellens not only skilfully co-wrote, with Stuart Sellens, but also directed, was part of the wardrobe team and was in the stage crew. I’m sure she is extremely proud of the hard work of the whole team that created this wonderful experience. The show was cleverly written to incorporate the traditional tale of our most famous outlaw with the cleverly adapted songs of Gilbert & Sullivan and German to help move the tail along.

The show was just worth seeing for the impeccable singing. Musical director Martin Lay must be delighted to have such a talented, vocally superb group. Every member of this group was outstanding. Indeed, the singing performance of Louis Jacques was so breathtaking, I had goosebumps whenever she sang, especially in ‘Love is a plaintive thing’. It was great to see, or hear in fact, the cast being able to project so well without the assistance of microphones. So many actors hide behind microphones and think that they can somehow work miracles with whispered lines, but not this cast. Each line and song was delivered with great projection that I’m sure those passing outside the building, let alone at the back of the room could hear them.

The set was minimal but effective in helping set scenes, but as this is a touring performance elaborate staging was not expected. The costumes, as we come to expect from Hull Savoyards, were outstanding period pieces that fit like they were made for the actors. They were perfectly matched to each character and successfully highlighted the status of the different characters and never became a hindrance through the show.

The show started with a beautiful solo from Sammy Williams as The Spirit of the Wood, who narrated the show as it progressed and was constantly on stage throughout, which is no mean feat. This role was designed for this young actress and her melodic voice really made the audience feel at ease. Every tale or Robin Hood must include his rag tag bunch of Merry Men consisting of Little John (Peter Perkins), Friar tuck (Sam Emeny), Alan a Dale (Rod Crocker) and Much the Millers Daughter (Sophie Rowe. These four obviously loved their parts and as an audience you couldn’t help but join in with them smiling. The dastardly duo of The Sherriff of Nottingham (Christopher C Corbett) and Guy of Gisborne (Peter Jonas) were perfectly cast, although I’m sure these two gentlemen are the complete opposite in real life to their characters. Their rendition of ‘You Understand? I think I do’ was one of my favourite numbers to the point I was humming it on the way home. The main man himself, Robin Hood played by Stuart Sellens, was the stereotypical panto hero with the iconic knee slaps to go with it. As with the other characters his singing was wonderful and his characterisation was brilliant. One of my most favourite characters was Jill played by Val Marshall who had so many comedic moments in the show and was an absolute star in the role. Her timings and delivery of lines were spot on and really added a new level to the show.

I think that Hull Savoyard have worked very hard to produce this original rendition of a beloved classic. Both the cast and backstage team have come together well and show that amateur touring shows can work. This groups adaptability continues to grow, and their singing performances are some of the best around. Sometimes Gilbert and Sullivan shows have a stigma of being old fashioned but this group certainly show how they can be brought into this century

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