Robin Hood and Babes In The Wood

To be quite honest I’m not quite sure what I’ve just seen, but then this is Barton Players and anything straight forward and traditional is not really their scene. Especially when written and directed by the quirky genius that is Keith Badham, but that’s what always makes a visit to Barton-le-Clay such an interesting trip.

The plot was, shall we say, roughly based on the story of Robin Hood where Maid Marion has been captured by the evil Sherriff of Nottingham and plans are afoot to rescue her. As I joked with the director during the interval, ‘If you think I’m going to be able to precis the plot you are living in dreamland,’ to which he replied, ‘Plot what plot?’ But in reality, each scene, although linked in some way was really a series of comedy skits, some of which were hilarious and some of which, to quote a Biblical expression fell on somewhat stoney ground, but that was possibly delivery rather than the script…? 

The stage set under the management of Marilyn Nightingale and Lorna Kalisz was bare throughout and consisted of the very well done artistic painting giving the title of the show with a wood and arrows painted through the lettering and a couple of barrels at the bottom centre of the picture. The only piece of permanently fixed furniture was the ‘money tree’ stage right on the extension, which was covered in Christmas fairy lights. There was a magnificent miniature stagecoach built for a robbery scene carried out by the merry men. Set painting was by Ashley Parker, Keith Badham and the cast.

Lighting design and operation was in the very capable by Keith Bowie. Sound was designed by Rachael Bowie and operated by Adam Bowie, a real family affair. Costumes were sourced by Derryanne Blunt, Gill George and the cast itself. Props were also sourced by the cast.

Choreography was all round effort by the cast spearheaded by Chloe Badham, Keith Badham and Rachael Bowie.

This panto has one of the largest casts I’ve come across with thirty named characters! Some of which were quirky, some completely new to the basic Robin Hood or Babes in the Woods stories, some traditional and were absolutely hilarious and only had to appear to get a laugh. We did have our good and bad fairies, Leshy, The Good Spirit of The Forest played by Gill George and Licho, The Bad Spirt of The Forest played by Clare Coffey.

Robin Hood himself played by Matthew Hall, as a self-centred Narcissist who turned out to be a bit of a coward. That was a very clever comedic twist to the plot and certainly different!

The main character of this band of Merry Men was John Murphy as Alan O’Dale in a wonderful Irish brogue, who opened with a pretty good stand-up routine, which got the audience going nicely, The rest of the off the wall ‘Merry Men’ were Harold Liberty as a very slim Friar Tuck, Sharon Maltby as Will Scarlet with a running joke on the phrase,’ Will I what?’ Brian Coffey as a ‘smallish’ Little John, and Nelly the Cook played by Debbie Radcliffe who did the traditional slapstick scene baking a cake which of course ended up all over Alan O’Dale’s face.

Then we had Maid Marion herself played by Ashley Parker and her entourage of comedically named hand Maidens, Maiden Chelsea (Rebecca Louise Smith), Maiden Over (Rachael Bowie) and Maiden China (Adele Tebb) all plotting how to avoid marrying the evil Sherriff and escape to Robin in the forest.

Ron Knight as The Sherriff of Nottingham does deserve a special mention, as this was his first ever venture of treading the boards. Apparently dragged onto it from his normal post as official photographer. He certainly appeared to be having fun and enjoying himself. His sidekick and our butt of all slapstick jokes with the apply named Dipstick played by Mick George. The author himself, Keith Badham was the scheming Guy of Gisborne. And to compete the Sherriff’s evil band Linda Forster as The Sherriff’s Spy.

The best part in this panto and everybody’s favourite character was Tracey McNevin as Elsie The Soothsayer. Her entrances alone were hilarious as she slowly doddered on the stage, her makeup sublime and her facial expressions pure genius. A picture of comedic ugliness never to be forgotten!

Then we had three excellently made-up witches again with superbly comedic names, Nanny Annie (Derryanne Blunt), Nanny Fanny (Lesley Jorgensen) and Nanny Granny (Christine Ayres).

Chris Radcliffe played several parts taking on Sir Henry Chauncy, The Witchfinder General, continually but of course unsuccessfully chasing across the stage trying to catch our witches to comic effect; an Aristocrat and at the end King Richard himself. Linda Forster also played an aristocrat.

And now we come to the youngsters as the Babes in The Wood, who did a particularly good job in the musical numbers, with all names ‘borrowed’ from that children’s favourite TV programme, Trumptonshire Trilogy: Leo Williamson as Camberwick, Olivia Horwood as Chigley, Harrison Hunt as Hugh Pew, Ashley Riley as Barney McGrew, Joel Platt as Cuthbert and Lauren Platt as Dibble Grub.

So well done one and all on a valiant effort and a lot of hard work, but I have to say there were times where I thought it could have done with a serious injection of pace. Scene changes on what was basically a bare stage were often slow and clunky. I was warned, but the interval was bizarrely put in at about the two thirds mark, giving us a very long first half and very short second half, which was quirky. and this was a two and three-quarter hour show, including a twenty minute interval, a show for kids that saw a finish after 10.30pm. The full house audience, who clapped and laughed throughout obviously enjoy themselves, but there were some tired, but happy, looking girl guides leaving the theatre.

Keep the “off the wall quirkiness” coming, its what makes Barton Players a great night out!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.