Robin Hood and The Babes In The Wood

My final panto of the 2024-25 season left me with a smile at the end of the performance, I just love it when a creative team come up with new ideas in pantos to engage and involve the audience. During Act 2, arriving at the Sheriff of Nottingham’s castle to rescue Maid Marion, Robin Hood asked the audience to help get past the guards and knock down the large gate. Out comes what looked like to be over 100 hand-knitted and crocheted fruit and vegetables (by friends and family of the cast and crew), the audience were invited to launch them at the guards and the gate, with the guards throwing them back at the audience. Great fun was had by all, and then a large bouncing ball was introduced through the audience to finally bounce and open the gate to allow Maid Marion to escape. The set was very nicely designed and an atmospheric opening to Act Two in the dungeon of the Castle.

As Robin Hood, Lottie Waller was excellent, engaging the audience throughout and the strong thread throughout the story, with good vocals, the perfect foil for the evil Sheriff, and well matched opposite Cerian Ellson as Maid Marion. Cerian also showed good vocals in the duets with Lottie, for “Somewhere Only We Know”, and a lovely rendition of “One Call Away”.

I always like a dry sense of humour, and Neil Ellson, as the Sheriff of Nottingham, had tons of it. Dismissive of everything and skulking around moaning about everything, he was hilarious, and what a pairing with Ryan Livermore as the downtrodden and put upon Dennis. Every time the Sheriff pushed Dennis’s wrong buttons, Ryan’s crazed reactions were superb, akin to the late Rik Mayall in the Young Ones. Some more good visual comedy in the school classroom each time Dennis got up from the bench, the weight imbalance causing the Sheriff to be tipped off the bench.

Friar Tuck (John Bull), and Little Joan (Judy Ellson), seemed to pop up everywhere and were another good pairing with some good comedy rapport.

Being involved in a cast which had a larger percentage of adults, the two children who were captured by the Sheriff and taken to the woods, Tilly (Everly Pendleton) and Tommy (Finley Spanton), were not to be outdone as they acted and delivered their script with style, good diction and confidence. Doubling up as Merry Men and Performers at the Nottingham Fair, their dance moves were also very good. Tilly was played by Everly in this performance, and Poppy Stanton played the role on some other nights.

The supporting cast was made up of John King as Alan-A-Dale, David Severs as Winnie Widebottom (the tallest dame I have ever seen with Elton John style high platform shoes), and Sophia Taylor as Much.

With the remaining cast appearing as Guards, Merry Men and Performers at the Fair, this was a very enjoyable evening and a huge well done to Director Cheryl Collings and the rest of the creative team.

 

 

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