Following last year’s sparkly Cinderella, the Yvonne Arnaud team is back with another family focussed favourite, namely Robin Hood. Set in merry old England with a nasty sheriff, magical forest, chorus of villagers and ‘will they won’t they’ love story, Jack Counsel’s script and Joanna Read’s direction delivers an action-packed tale stuffed with silliness and heart.
Blending established tradition with a large sprinkle of modern attitude, the audience soon discovers that Marion is a headstrong leader, Robin a slightly arrogant city boy and the Sheriff of Nottingham is a nasty piece of work called Karen. The merry men, led by Lil John, live in Sherwood Forest, but they are not alone, watched over by the mystical heart of the forest—a plot point that takes the story in a direction more like the BBC’s Merlin but ultimately provides a satisfyingly magical finale.
As the dude in the hood, Ricky Oakley is a suave Robin who learns that he needs to step up to the mark to save those he loves. He doesn’t ride through the glen and isn’t particularly feared by the bad, but does have some cracking one-liners and an engaging presence. Safia Bartley’s confident Marion on the other hand discovers the power of collaboration and strength in numbers. It’s a great touch that Marion and Robin have a previous history and “We are Never Getting back Together” is a fun anti-romantic song for the pair. The fact they both take part in a battle of the bands-style face-off towards the end of act one also lets Bartley display some comedy chops. A drippy lady in distress this Marion certainly ain’t.
Lil John is certainly no pushover either, and Jacob Kohli creates a friendly but cheeky outlaw who isn’t afraid to tease Robin or beat him in a fight to prove a point. Neither comedy sidekick nor romantic lead, it’s a tricky character that he navigates with gentle humour, so is a natural choice to co-lead the house song.
Striding about the stage in knee-high boots normally reserved for a principal boy, Lucy Benjamin gives her all as the Sheriff and clearly relishes the opportunity to play a self-centred, greedy and generally despicable person. Similar to last year’s stepmother character, she’s not so much evil as entitled and brash. This creates plenty of opportunity for boos and hisses, but also comedic moments and a sassy rendition of Demi Lovato’s “Complicated”. In a sense, it’s a shame not to have a more sinister Sheriff to enhance the good vs evil divide, but this style of performance perfectly fits the light-hearted tone of the show. This is her second Yvonne Arnaud panto and hopefully not the last.
It’s also the second year for Matt Pinches, who is well-known locally as the co-founder of Guildford Shakespeare Company. Not only does he display expert comic timing as Much but also radiates warmth and quickly creates a bond with the kids in the audience, even if he is denied a classic “every time I come on I want you to shout…” callback. The obvious laughs might come from being the victim of the slosh scene and “12 days of Christmas” custard pies, but he also generates smiles in other places, finding fun ways to deliver his lines and elevate Much from being a pure fool to Marion’s ineffectual but likeable friend. Clearly at home on the panto stage and enjoying an easy relationship with Arnaud veteran PG, Pinches looks set to be a firm favourite, and I’m confident to say that Guildford audiences are hoping for many more appearances.
And of course, the aforementioned PG (Peter Gordon) is back as Nanny Fanny Annie, baker, troublemaker and mum to Much. Gordon is now a dab hand at playing a dame who is full of corny jokes, provides innuendo coupled with eye rolls and remains flat-footed in fabulous frocks. Always a larger-than-life presence on the stage, he was slightly underused this year, although made the most of the (slightly tame) slosh scene and had the children up in arms at the thought that water pistols might not make it into the ever popular “12 days of Christmas”.
These strong principals are supported by a multitalented ensemble, and it’s great to see them create their own characterisation whether playing guards, villagers, merry men or indeed swifties in cowboy boots.
With songs including “The Greatest Show”, “Best Song Ever” and “Relight my Fire” Verity Holt’s nimble choreography keeps the visuals animated and Andrew Linham’s musical direction ensures a full and rich sound. Counsel’s script zips along nicely, although a few opportunities for audience interaction seem to have been missed—not that the script stopped the Beavers from shouting “he’s behind you” anyway! Thankfully, Marion was safe in Bartley’s hands, but with hardly any mushy moments or softer scenes, she could have been a very irritating leading lady.
The love and care that goes into producing the Yvonne Arnaud pantomimes is always evident, and it’s fantastic to see this tradition continue. With beautiful backdrops, colourful costumes, high standard of performances and a great deal of infectious energy, Robin Hood adds another festive feather to the creative cap of the talented team.
Reviewer: Amy Yorston