Robin Hood

I entered the auditorium to a packed audience and decorations and staging that set us up with a suitable sense of anticipation. Large pennants hung from the walls, bunting was strung across the ceiling and dotted around were several targets (I assume placed in case any of the audience wanted to fit in some quick target practice). There were also several intriguing posters promoting ‘Nottingham’s Got Talent’ - a teaser for events that would later unfold!
Suddenly a windows on the side of the stage opened and we were presented with two ‘Merry Men’ in puppet form. Transfixed! I was getting more excited about the coming show, particularly if it was creative enough to include puppetry. Unfortunately the only turn the puppets were to get was during the pre-show announcements and during the interval - a missed opportunity! I would have loved to have seen them heckling the rest of the 'Merry Men' from the lofty vantage point - I think the enigmatic Will Scarlet could have has some brilliant arguments with them!
But the show certainly didn’t disappoint as a result of the lack of foam-stuffed cast members. This was a great show which demonstrated the pace and timing that is so vital in pantomime. One of the most vital roles to get right is that of the dame. Nanny Nora was great, with a good blend of subtle glances and natural comic timing - which caused her to bond with the audience instantly. Great costumes too - I think the ‘Girl Guide’ one was my favourite, although there were several corners to choose from!
The rest of the cast were also strong, with the other standout performances coming from the Evil Sheriff of Nottingham, who was brilliantly wicked (and also vocally talented with his performances of such numbers as ‘All Alone’, taken from Spamalot) and Much the Miller's son, who's energy on stage was infectious to us rabble in the audience. He got us all shouting, cheering and booing with hardly any trouble at all.
Our Robin and Maid Marion worked quite well as a team, although their duet 'Love' an Open Door' needed a little more tuning work, all in all their pace and timing was good and they were well liked by the audience. 
The general company were working well too. How often do we see shows where the chorus stand around like expressionless statues because they think they don't need to do anything because someone else is talking - not when you see an ANTs production though. They worked hard to make their interactions behind the main dialogue as believable as possible and not just doing the cliché 'nodding dog' routine! It makes SO much difference the the overall feel of a performance if everyone's engaged properly, so thanks to you guys for realising that.
Illness and accidents are the scariest thing for a production team, so I think it would be fair to say that the ANTs has had their fill for the next century. Jumping into their roles at the last minute, new faces took the roles of the ‘Soothsayer’ and ‘Scarper’ and managed to perform their respective roles well and do the rest of the cast proud. No mean feat. We all loved joining in with their spirited rendition of 'Everybody!' Simply because they were charismatic enough to make us want to.
That does lead me to the one weak spot that would make ANTs pantos an even bigger success. Choreography. Please, it's not a dirty word and it doesn't mean everyone needs to be leaping around like Rudolph Nureyev, but when you have so many of the other elements working well, there are times when running around in circles isn't quite entertaining enough for a three minute music track. I always think that any music number, whether it be performed to a track or sung live, should be treated in exactly the same way as any piece of dialogue in a play. There's a story to be told with each phrase.
I love seeing societies experiment with different media and the ANTs did a brilliant job inserting a 'dream sequence' in the form of a pre-shot bit of video, which had been designed as a old black and white movie - with the characters acting in the same, over-the-top style. Very funny and did a great job of changing the pace of the show mid-stream.
To other technical matters and a comment about the set and lighting design. The set was great, with perhaps the exception of the Forrest which was a little sparse. We weren't presented with a set confined to the boundaries of the proscenium arch, but one that spilled out across the front and along a neatly constructed catwalk along the stage left wall - which caused us to feel much more part of the performance. Lighting was simple and effective, working mostly from lamps hung in the auditorium, including the introduction of some LED-based stuff that I'm pleased to see being integrated professionally into the society's arsenal of equipment. More time spent with it will begin to deliver more and more effective design possibilities and control on the stage - that will help enhance little tricks like the Soothsayer's glowing staff, which was a bit washed out at times and to make more of 'magical' entrances, like that of the Enchantress (our lyrical guide to the goings on in Sherwood!).
Another well executed scene which combined technical and creative aspects was a wonderful UV scene surrounding the track 'Ugly Bugs Ball' (dropped in as an introduction to the spooky Forrest). The 'bugs' were hand-held shapes, operated by 'invisible' puppeteers swathed in black and as the number progressed. Ore and more bugs appeared in glowing colours on stage. Effective and well thought out, I would have liked to have seen it's build with twice as many bugs to justify the length of the song.
And finally a mention of the audience participation section, when half a dozen six year-olds are scoop onto the stage to sing along the 'Robin Hood' song. Plus me. After I'd done such a sterling job of hiding in the back row, I was plucked from safety to try to blend in with a bunch of kids who barely came up higher than my waist. I think I got away with it though and the audience certainly seemed to enjoy it - it's difficult to descend between heckling and cheering when you're pretending to be six. It's lucky I seem to sort of quite like you kind of.
Thanks for a great show and a fun night - and that's from your whole audience who thought you were great!

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