Robin Hood The Pantomime

I have seen this company do many plays but not a pantomime so I was intrigued to see what they would make of this particular genre.  The reaction from the capacity audience convinced me they enjoyed this just as much as the alternative shows. Cast and crew had obviously worked tirelessly to present us with this traditional pantomime. Director, Carol Buckley had involved a great team of young and more mature performers to keep us entertained on this chilly evening. It was good to see live musicians as opposed to “canned music” and there was an excellent balance between themselves and those on stage.  There was a good choice of numbers which fitted so well with the story line and I especially enjoyed “ Men in Tights”. The set was very appropriate and one could see that a great deal of time and effort had gone into the various scenes. The technicians had made some interesting innovations. I particularly like the projection of the soothsayers predictions. I did wonder if there was a problem with some microphones as some of the principals were wearing them but little, if any, sound was heard from them?  Costumes were splendid. I particularly liked the outlandish and elaborate outfits worn by Nanny Nora. She had many quick changes, all completed on time, Well done Dominic Swarbrick. Harriet Buckley gave a confident performance as Robin Hood and John Nickson was convincingly evil and nasty as The Sheriff of Nottingham. There was a great performance by Paul Armitt as Friar Tuck, a great characterisation by this very talented actor. Direction and Choreography were excellent and the four main dancers were a highlight of the show.

The audience went out into the cold, warmed by this light hearted and so enjoyable show. Many thanks for such a lovely evening and congratulations on your recent success at the N.O.D.A Awards.

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