Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood

As we took our seats, the bustling auditorium buzzed with anticipation for the annual LADS panto, and it truly delivered. I appreciated how the audience was immediately drawn into the performance, and the cast’s use of the whole auditorium made us feel involved in the show multiple times.

The small band under the musical direction of (the hugely in demand) Chris Corcoran were placed along the outer aisle, proving that in a small theatre, you must adapt! I did think I wouldn’t want to sit beside them, but it worked well and you can’t beat live music for the reactive moments of panto. The show songs,  whilst not easy, were executed with professionalism and enthusiasm and it was lovely to see that the younger cast members were included in most numbers.

Alana Dale, introduced as the female counterpart to Alan a Dale, made a relaxed entrance through the auditorium. Jackie Barratt quickly captured our attention with her commanding stage presence and effortless rapport with the audience. Her portrayal of Alana was charming, and her interactions with Elaine Graham, Paul Graham, and Hettie Guilding—the three rabbits—were genuinely amusing, as were the rabbits themselves. Although I found the sight of rabbits wearing smartwatches distracting when their screens caught the light (I do prefer jewellery to be appropriate or hidden), the comedic timing from the rabbits perfectly complemented this enchanting performance.

Dave stone, suitably padded out, was the likeable Friar Tuck who had his humorous moments, but was the straight man to Little Joan played by Tilly Hampton who is a natural comedienne and had the audience in stitches with her passive aggressive behaviour, not to mention her superb singing voice.   

Breaking with tradition, Robin Hood was played by a man. Archie Wilde was so confident in this role and yes, cocky as the script dictated. I must say his similarity to Rik Mayall was uncanny and it did make his character cheesier, but I haven’t seen a more relaxed and confident principal boy in years. He smashed it, he absorbed the persona and never dipped throughout the performance.

Lindsay Jo Phillips was a perfect Maid Marion, feisty and not at all the simpering principal girl required in many a panto. Her sassy rendition of ‘That don’t impress me much’ with plenty of attitude summed her up very nicely and was the running theme throughout the show, especially when she put Robin in his place and I loved the proposal scene – so funny.

No panto is complete without the perfect dame and LADS certainly gave us one. Jim Cox was fabulous, as was his costumes – wow. Not only could he use his comedic prowess, but he could sing! Not always a combination found in the world of amateur pantomime but in Jim’s case he had it all. His interaction with the children in the school scene was lovely and the timing impeccable. The highlight was the younger cast members singing ‘Revolting Children’ with such enthusiasm and volume, it really was brilliant and I had a hard time not joining in. The cartwheels from some of the girls were very impressive too. The entire scene was slick, speedy and extremely funny.

The baddies (if you could call them that) were Jon Gill as the Sheriff of Nottingham and his sidekick Dennis played by Katie Balson. Jon was a brilliant baddie having just the right blend of menace and humour. His persona was mesmerising, so much so that his interaction with the audience was commanding yet non-threatening.  As for Dennis, I haven’t laughed so much in ages, what a performance from Katie; She was hilarious! The facial expressions alone had the audience in fits of laughter; her Black Country accent was outstanding and the fact that she kept it up throughout the entire show was commendable. She really was the lovable baddie and a real treat to watch.

The scene involving Robin being strung up with the endless door openings was the sort of slapstick I adore, it was exceptionally good and the reactions involuntary which added to the humour. The soapsuds were ingenious as there was little mess (always a nightmare to clean up when there is no scene change and with limited space) and Joan and Tuck were brilliant with Tuck doing a good impression of Eric Idle from Monty Python.

The scene of releasing Marian from the One Doored Tower of Doom was brilliant; after enlisting the audience as fellow outlaws everyone was issued with a plastic ball which on the count of three was thrown onto the stage scaring off the guards and then a massive ball was tossed around the audience until one strong armed man was selected to throw the ball towards the locked doors, a feat he managed ably and the doors few open to release Marian, to the great delight and tumultuous uproar from the cast and audience alike. It was the best audience participation I have ever been part of, followed later by a great community song, which we could hardly get our tongues round but was, yet again, a wonderful interactive experience.

For a small theatre this pantomime had everything; a brilliant cast who were word perfect and made you feel that they were indeed the characters they portrayed. Wonderful direction from Heather Cambridge and brilliant choreography and Bella Wetson. How they managed to get 29 children to sing and dance the way they did was amazing. The complicated dance moves were fantastic and no collisions occurred, which considering the size of the stage was nothing short of a miracle.

The technical input was very impressive with beautiful graphics (especially the oak tree) displayed to depict each scene. The lighting was spot on – no pun intended - with the finale swathed in a golden glow to match the finale song to create a warm hug from the vibrant show we had just enjoyed enormously. The wardrobe department should take a bow for helping to make this a colourful and lively production. Thank you, LADS, for a wonderful evening, you have restored my love for pantomime.

Lou Hickey Regional Representative District 1

As the Regional Councillor for the West Midlands, I am privileged to visit numerous pantomimes at this time of year. However, it is true to say that I have not laughed so much for a very long time. It is difficult to identify the standout moment in this production as they were numerous and kept coming — from the casting, music and movement to the vocals as well as the acting and action itself.

The characterisations were ingenuous from both the goodies and the baddies, as described above by Lou. The door scene, however, really needed to be seen (and heard, with spot-on timing of the thump) to be believed — I was in hysterics. I also greatly enjoyed the soft ball-throwing, which was ideal for the size and design of the auditorium, allowing everyone to throw their ball back to the stage. The use of double entendre by Robin in this scene was particularly well delivered, as it was on several occasions throughout — great for the adults and completely over the heads of the younger members of the audience.

Costumes, lighting and sound were all additional ingredients for the wonderful production.

The run still had performances to go after our visit, all tickets were sold — otherwise I may well have returned.

A superb start to 2026 for Ledbury Amateur Dramatic Society. I most certainly look forward to future productions, and without doubt panto 2027.

Andy Brown, Regional Councillor NODA West Midlands

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.