Robin Hood

The story of Robin Hood is based on traditional English folklore and tells the story of an outlaw who lives in the heart of Sherwood Forest preying on wealthy travellers but giving the plundered riches and goods to the poor. In this story, written and directed by Ant Hawkins and Dan Barrett, we have a new setting of Horncastle Market Place and consequently some local jokes about the car parking situation.  

The Sheriff of Horncastle, played by Tristan Forrester, was the evil villain obsessed with winning the hand of the fair Marion and catching the troublemaking, Robin Hood.  He makes all his money from charging the townsfolk exorbitant rates to park at his ‘cart park’ using his new-fangled machines and fining them when they overstayed.  Tristan strutted around the stage rubbing his hands with glee berating the audience while fully convinced that he was the real hero of the show.  

The Sheriff however needed someone to empty his machines and appointed two helpers in the form of Derek (Gwyn Williams) and Rodney (Dom Hinkins) from Peckham who had a passing resemblance to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter from a certain TV show.  The pair provided much of the humour as they bumbled ineptly through their duties.

Robin Hood played by Sophie Campbell was good as our dashing principal boy hero and interacted with the other characters well.  Her duet with Marion had some lovely harmonies.  His mother, Mrs Barbie Hood, was played by Malcom Tresadern as the traditional Pantomime dame complete with huge wig and on one occasion some comedy bosoms provided by balloons. 

But what is a leader without his merry men?  They entered singing ‘We Will Rob You’ and introduced themselves as Will Scarlett (Russell Adler), Little John (Ben Turner) and his ‘twin’ brother Big John (Gail Hinkins).   Alan the Minstrel (Tadgh Davey) was the musical virtuoso turning every opportunity into a song strumming his lute which mysteriously seemed to shrink and grow!  The band was complete by Friar Tuck-Shop (Marie Holmes) who kept our heroes well fed on beans of every variety including jelly beans.

Marion Blatherwick, played by Alice Davey was not your usual simpering heroine proving she was more than a match for the odious Sheriff and his henchman.  She also performed a lovely solo. Her father Baron Ken Blatherwick (played by Tommy Peckham) owned a balloon factory and owed money to the Sheriff in unpaid parking fines, so he agrees to let him marry his daughter in exchange for clearing his debts.  The Sheriff would take part in a rigged archery competition following which he would win Marion and Dan Barrett appeared as ‘Harry Carpenter’ who was the commentator for the archery competition. 

Obviously, Robin Hood saves the day and gets the girl by beating the Sherriff in the archery competition leaving the Sheriff to slink off into the sidelines defeated. 

The ensemble was good providing backing numbers including the opening number ‘Barbie Girl in a PantoWorld.’  They also had small speaking roles during the archery competition.  

Costumes were good and in keeping with the overall olde England theme with the ensemble in medieval costume which they remained in throughout.  I liked the lions chasing Robin and his men around the forest replacing the traditional ghost scene. 

The set was simple in design with coloured flats decorated with trees to enhance the forest theme and also a backdrop of a traditional village market scene with cottages and the balloon factory.  

All in all, an entertaining family panto which was well appreciated by the ample audience.  

 

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