Robin Hood

What an evening of delightful entertainment we saw when Whitley Bay Pantomime Society opened its doors to enchant us with this year’s production of Robin Hood.

The show “loosely” followed the well-known theme of Robin Hood and his Merry Men and unveiled on stage Robin Hood, Maid Marion and the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham as well as a favourite character Friar Tuck. These characters are familiar  and loved by us but as you will see this show also introduced to us some surprisingly new characters.

The traditional English tale Babes in the Wood was amalgamated with the Robin Hood legend during the Victorian Era, particularly in pantomime performances. In 21st century speak I think we call that “two for the price of one” and that is what the audience got, an evening packed with laughs, boos, water drenching and of course an opportunity to participate on stage.

The opening ensemble transported our mood for what was to follow. The colour of the costumes and coordination of all on stage mirrored perfection and having the music of Let’s Do This, orchestrated by a live band in the pit, was such a treat. I mention a live band early as the band added to this show an irreplaceable layer of energy, spontaneity and professional polish that transforms a show into an interactive party that adapts to the unpredictable nature of pantomime. Well done to all of the musicians.

The Sheriff of Nottingham was played by Chris Shiels and I know Chris has been singing since his school days but your performance on stage in this pantomime was outstanding and your solo, It’s a Sin, brought intense well-deserved applause. A superb Sheriff, always grabbing tax money in line with fiscal policy that brought traditional boos from the audience.

The role of Robin Hood was played by an assertive, dashing and unassuming Sabrina Lyall. Sabrina acted the part well, leading the outlaws. Sabrina has an enchanting singing voice. Your experience on stage shone Sabrina and you embraced the role of Robin Hood and made it your own. You played well alongside your stage sweetheart Georgia White who took the role of principal girl, Maid Marion who also has a beautiful voice and your duet with Robin Hood Die with a Smile was very moving. Georgia, your interaction with the children Peter (Benjamin Waters) and Penny (Francesca Brogden) was a warm and tender relationship well portrayed on stage.

Congratulations to Benjamin and Francesca your dialogue was clear and well delivered and your duet was super. Keep doing what you are doing as you both have much to bring to the stage.

The nursery nurse for the children was Nurse Glucose in the role of pantomime dame and played by Steven Linsdell-Bell. Steven is a talented performer on stage and he clearly was at the heart of this show. He connected with the audience and his energy levels were high throughout the performance. Your timing, adlibbing and slap stick comedy enabled you to engage with the audience and characters on stage equally. You can sing and dance and your delivery of APT was brilliant. A challenge for any pantomime dame is balancing witty lines with innuendo and you achieved this. Your costumes reflected that of a pantomime dame perfectly. Well done Steven your performance was stunning.

The comedy duo of Nick and Knock (Alfie Mordue and Beth Robinson) brought humour and a polished performances to the stage. I was particularly impressed by the stage presence of you both. In your role as Bad Guys you played off one another and your facial expressions exaggerated some of your very corny lines. I found it difficult to imagine you both as bad as your audience warmed to you both. This is not a criticism as we do love bad guys in a pantomime and your duet of the famous Bugzy Malone song Bad Guys was an outstanding performance.

Whitley Bay Pantomime Society always thrill their audience with the exceptional quality of their on-stage dancers and this year was no exception. From the tots to the seniors, you all danced faultlessly and your costumes were breathtaking. You smiled throughout and you were visually stunning. You surely love what you do and individual recognition must go to the show’s choreographer Julie Cockburn. Julie thank you to you and your dancers for bringing to the stage a spectacular performance.

The scenery was fantastic and the backdrop of Sherwood Forest was so life like I felt as if I was there. The stage was filled with colour in every scene and the scene changes were executed seamlessly. Your team of backstage crew did a fantastic job, well done to you all.

Thank you for the invitation you extended to my fellow NODA representatives. We received a warm welcome and we all had an evening of great entertainment. You leave us with high expectations of your production next year – Aladdin, we cannot wait. Congratulations to all involved.

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