Throbbin Wood

The fine folk of Got-wood Forest are terrorised by taxes imposed by the wicked Sheriff of Frottingham who'll stop at nothing to seize the throne of England and do the dirty with Maid Marian. Only the outlaw Throbbin Wood, and the Horny Men can save the day. With the help of the hapless Silly Willy, his mother Nanny Fanny and the magical Fairy Glitter-ous, can Got-wood be saved from the Sheriff?

Directed by Peter Darnell and performed by a small cast of 9 performers, Throbbin Wood delivered an unapologetically adult twist on the classic tale of Robin Hood. John Murray as The Sherriff of Frottingham was deliciously evil and villainous, being rewarded with boos and hisses from the audience each time he made an appearance. In contrast, Jennie Lovell as Fairy Glitterous was charming and whimsical, aside from script’s cheeky vocabulary! Making her adult pantomime debut as Maid Marian, Jodie Spaughton played the part with wide-eyed naivity, yet shocking and delighting the audience with her foul language at times. Silly Willy (Jack Ebsworth) was delightfully silly and had his work cut out with the rowdy audience. He managed to keep things on track and brought the true spirit of pantomime with him. Jack had brilliant chemistry with Nanny Fanny (Michael Graves). Michael brought a fabulous blend of femininity and mischief to the role, teasing his chosen audience member! Michael’s ability to enagage the audience made everyone feel part of the fun. Heather Bambridge as Throbbin Wood, along with Abbie Hales and Alexis Spillane as Little Jonnie and Anal-a-Dale were confident in their roles. Their camaraderie kept the pace going and brought the story to life. Josh Bambridge as Triar F**k was comically grotesque in all the right ways!

The cast worked tirelessly to keep the audience engaged, firing back quick-witted comebacks whenever the crowd became a little too vocal. They kept the pace upbeat and kept momentum going.

The performers delivered strong vocals throughout, particularly in I Will Follow Him and It’s Raining Men. It’s always a pleasure to see what interesting careers will pop up in If I Were Not in Pantomime, this year, the line up included all 9 performers with their adult themed jobs. The sequence was well rehearsed and cleverly balanced comedy with character.

There were several moments where various cast members forgot their lines, which in the spirit of pantomime, they acknowledged and carried on. However, at times, it felt like the audience were part of an open rehearsal with cast members muttering to each other when mistakes happened.

The scenery was minimal encouraging the audience to use their imagination. The props were used sparingly but effectively supported the storytelling. The costumes were in keeping with the theme of Throbbin Wood and the characters’ personalities. Attention to detail was given, creating unity with the costumes for Throbbin Wood, Anal-a-Dale and Little Jonnie.  

It was a creative idea for Fairy Glitterous to start the show as though speaking through a mirror/window unfortunately, the lighting and placement of the frame obscured her face for those seated at the sides. That said, the rest of the lighting was immaculate. In contrast, the sound effects were occasionally late, enough for the cast to comment on it, though it was unclear whether this was intentional.

In such an intimate venue, microphones were not needed. The cast projected clearly, creating a natural sound adding warmth to the performance.

Although the front of house team mentioned the previous night’s performance had run more smoothly, the audience were clearly enjoying themselves, sometimes a little too much, even stealing the jokes. Throbbin Wood was well received, full of the fun expected from an adult pantomime.

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