Robin Hood and the babes in the wood

This was the first pantomime by Encore Theatre Company that I had attended but I had been reliably informed that they always produce a fantastic family pantomime and this one was no exception.

It was almost like writer and director Sue Sheppard had put a tick against a check-list on how to write the perfect pantomime as it had all the traditional elements - a hero, villains, romance, comedy, a giant, delightful dance routines, audience participation, trendy songs.

The story is set in Medieval England and ably narrated by Alex Bush who helped to ensure that the pace of the panto was maintained during scene and costume changes. As in the traditional Robin Hood story the evil Sheriff of Nottingham is terrorising the village when his brother Hoots McGroots and two children, Kurt and Anna visit him but Hoots sadly dies, he is then left to look after the children. He hatches a plan along with his henchman (who aren’t quite as menacing!) Biff and Baff, to ‘lose’ the Babes in the woods so that he can have complete control. Jordan Whipp as the Sheriff was just the right mix of nasty and sarcastic to get the audience booing him in all the right places and his facial expressions at the antics of Emily Dench and Amy-Lewise Spurgeon-Hill were comical. Emily and Amy-Lewise were a terrific comedy pairing and their song about food was brilliant. Amy really does have a great singing voice.

Of course, there has to be a hero of the story and Becky Thompson as Robin Hood along with her (sorry his!) band of merry men including Will Scarlett (Tom Bucktrout) and Friar Tuck (Matt Gibb) are there to thwart their plans.  Robin looked the part and I loved the traditional principal boy stance and costume. Becky was animated and spoke clearly bringing a new energy to the stage and instantly winning the ‘ensemble’ over in the quest to beat the Sheriff and save the babes.  Tom was hilarious as Will Scarlett and his outrageously pink costume added to the characterisation that he brought to the part whilst Matt was more traditional in his role as Friar Tuck but still equally brilliant, especially in the slapstick backing scene. They both had some great puns and gags which were clearly delivered and their physical comedy was done with aplomb.

Apart from battling the sheriff, Robin is trying to win the heart of Maid Marion, played confidently by Wendy Westmoreland. She brought an air of grace and purity to the character through her warm delivery and interaction with other characters on the stage. The duets between Marion and Robin were confidently presented and they both showed their vocal ranges and ability brilliantly.

No pantomime is complete though without the traditional Dame and Lee Gray as Dolly Dumpling was superb in this role, chasing any man he (sorry, she!) glimpsed whether on stage or not! The pursuit of the Sheriff and his rebuff was very funny.

Bobby Cook and Paige Gray as The Babes in the Wood were fantastic and although on stage by themselves quite a lot, they didn’t show any signs of nerves and were able to hold the audience’s attention while delivering some beautifully tender moments.

In a twist, the babes find themselves in The Land of Ice and Snow where they meet the Snow King and Queen who turn out to be long lost relatives! Catherine Pidd was regal and commanding as the queen but a special mention must go to Richard Goodall for his many characters – and accents throughout the show. As Hoots McGroots, King of Ice and Snow and King Richard, he was ridiculously entertaining.

The choice of musical numbers during the show were excellent although no songs are listed in the programme so I am unable to reference any by name. I am a huge fan of a live band so I was thrilled that a four piece band was used and the balance of sound from them was spot on, they did not overpower the cast at all. Congratulations to musical director Joel Griffin.

Bev Maher and Amanda Walker as choreographers produced some slick routines that played to the strengths of all the cast and resulted in clean, en pointe routines.

Overall, there were some very funny scenes in this good old traditional pantomime with plenty of jokes for all ages. Congratulations to all involved on a great production.

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