Robin Hood and the Witches of Sherwood Forest

This was my first visit to a KYDS production.  I had heard a lot of good things about the society so was looking forward to reviewing their show. 

Chester was well played by Beau Hens. He did a good job getting the audience on side and making sure they responded on cue whenever his character appeared. The prologue, well delivered, was followed by a good rousing opening number to get us all in to the mood for panto. There were good performances from Daisy Loerns as Robin Hood and Eva Guerra as Maid Marion.  Her solo “All by Myself” was nicely sung but it was such a shame the backing was so loud.

The three witches, Acne (Eden Hewes), Psoriasis (Ellisia Paper) and Pimple (Amy Swallow) all gave very good performances both acting and singing. Tommy Metcalf was simply hilarious as Nurse Bedpan (Nursie).  He tackled the role with maturity, throwing in some comic ad libbing to great effect.  His asides to ‘Steve’ and ‘Tracy’, in the front row had us all in fits of laughter.  Good timing and an ability to get the audience on side from the beginning is vital when you’re the pantomime dame and this young man really pulled it off. Very well done. Millie Sheldrick and Emily Hatton were an excellent pairing as Nutsy and Dipsy.  I particularly liked their rap.

Good performances also from Tom Hennessey as the Sheriff, Olly Smith as Prince John, Lola Emson as Molly Marcus Renshaw as Sergeant, Morgan Sheldon as Little John, Kieran Sheldon as Friar Tuck, Olivia Deighton as Will Scarlett, Charlie Warner as Alan-a-Dale and Steven Hyde as King Richard. The principal characters were well supported by the ensemble.  There was some good singing and dancing.  Not everyone had learned their steps but they were all enjoying themselves on stage and I’m sure giving it their best shot. 

The scenery, made in house was very good.  Scene changes overall were well carried out, there were just a few that were rather long. Musical accompaniment was pre-recorded and for the most part, good.  There were also some good sound effects.

Pantomimes as we know are often peppered with innuendos and this was the case here.  However, we were watching a youth production and there were times when I felt concerned about the suitability of some aspects of the script for young performers.   The production was well costumed.  It was just a pity that Maid Marion’s wedding dress was so heavily creased and the hem frayed.

That said, it is obvious that the creatives and the members of the production team are passionate about their involvement with the group and they had obviously worked very hard to get this production to the stage. So well done to all involved.

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