Robin Hood

A warm welcome, on a wet night, at Borne Corn Exchange was enjoyed by the audience for Robin Hood, A Magical Panto Adventure performed by SKAMP. A lovely Christmassy atmosphere was created in the performance space and a (sell out) mix of children and adults awaited the performance to begin.

We were not disappointed, the curtains opened to a huge cast of singers and dancers (Rockin’ All Over The World) which was energetic, bright and well performed by all. What a way to start a show! Jason Wilson (Director) had produced a lively, characterful pantomime with great music, strong acting talents along with some fine singing voices. A great mix of cast, from the local ballet and dance school to a youth chorus, to familiar faces and some very talented new members, all of whom, performed with energy, fun and wonderful audience participation. I laughed so hard I cried!

Emma Rogers gave a superb performance as Robin Hood (the traditional principal boy), along with thigh slapping merriment, her performance and energy as the ‘over the top’ hero, was wonderful, I feel the audience lapped it up. On top of that her singing was lovely, with strong vocals, excellent diction throughout and she led her merry men as they romped through the story line with vibrant energy. A confident, star performance. ‘Men in Tights’ was my favourite number and you all did well. Friar Tuck – Simon Slight was excellent, especially when I found out he had shaved his hair into the traditional monk’s tonsure, that is what I call dedication! On top of that his performance was brilliant, the fun he was having on stage was directly communicated with the audience, especially when Tuck fell in love with Dame Knickerbocker, their chemistry was wonderful. Other fine performances as the Merry Men were Alex Moores (Little John), Louise Moores (Will Scarlet), Rafan Jackson (Much), Lucy Shaw (Annie Greenleaf) and skipping along in front was Mick Cockerill as Alan-A-Dale. All gave good performances, utilised the stage well and sang and danced with skill.

Becki Oliver brought a fun cheeky Spirit of Sherwood to life. Her stunning costume, musical sounds and strong performance linked all the scenes together and moved the story along. The audience loved her cheeky manner and cheered and booed along with her story. Silly Billy, played by Andrew Tiplady, was also brilliant. His scootering about, his lovely costume, and his repour with the audience were all excellent. The traditional pantomime elements were all utilised well and he had the audience eating out of his hand. Andrew, you gave a fine performance with break-neck-speed-energy right to the very end, well done.

Maid Marian was charmingly played by Tegan Wyche, another confident performance from Tegan, who seems to grow in confidence every time I see her on stage. Her singing and vocals were as strong as ever and were well received by the audience. Tilly played by Heather Moores in her first principal role with SKAMP. Having been promoted from youth chorus, for this pantomime shows me that SKAMP are leading the way in training up the youngsters to bigger and better performances. Heather was very good, her gentle character was played with good humour and lovely chemistry between her and Nanny and Marian.

Boris and Doris, the comedy duo was played by Lydia Henderson and Rowena Roberts. Both confident performances were lively with great comic timing and vivacious characterisation. Their chemistry on stage was superb, and on top of that they can sing! Rowena sang Flash Bang Wallop which is a challenging song to sing, but actually keeping up the energy right near the end of a long performance is very hard and she did excellently.

The dancers and young performers were all very good. I saw team 2, led by Amelia Maudsley and Mason Wyche who played the Babes Penny and Percy. They gave charming performances and were very believable as the cheeky charges of Nanny Knickerbocker. Apollo Ballet Dance Team, gave a delightful performance as the forest animals and the children’s chorus executed lively acting skills and brought lots of fun to the musical numbers.

Finally, I turn to the main parts of Dame Knickerbocker and Sheriff Of Nottingham. Phil Briston owned the part of Dame and his timing, audience repour and chemistry with all the other characters was excellent. I could not have asked for more. Adrian Worgan as the evil Sheriff had the children in the audience going crazy to boo and shout out with glee. Both these ‘larger than life’ characters hold the heart of the show and Jason had utilised their huge skills really well. The bear chase scene was particularly funny when children from the audience could not contain themselves and came to the foot of the stage to shout and scream. Phil’s reactions were so funny and we all loved it.

Choreography by Zoe Darby, always a challenge on such a small stage, but well designed and brought bright, energy and movement to the show. Costumes by Jo Henderson, Jackie McDonnell and Alison Kirby, were really good. Each character was well defined and the over all look was cohesive and colourful, well done.

The stage set was very well done. So many changes of scene were managed with the usual SKAMP style, and I am always amazed how you deliver all the elements on such a small stage. Backstage were Andrew Fenn, Tracy Hulme, Sarah Owen and Stuart Brown. Stage manager David Weldrake and assistant stage manager Lucy Abbey. Hats off to you guys, for keeping everything moving swiftly along. Sound and lighting by Pual Shepherd, Jason Wilson,and Stuart GiddingsIan were well managed and balanced. The programme was particularly good this year and it will be my pleasure to enter it into the NODA programme competition. Final thanks to everyone else involved, front of house, make-up, media, publicity, dressers, chaperones, parents and carers, SKAMP committee and scenery and props makers. I had a thoroughly enjoyable night out and went home clutching my ribs from laughing so much.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.