Review: ROBIN HOOD AND THE CHRISTMAS HEIST, Rose Theatre Kingston
Photo credit: Mark Douet
Winter is coming in thick and fast. Robin Hood is wanted and Maid Marion has been left to look after all of the children of Sherwood due to the ongoing crusades. A new Sheriff arrives in town; surely he can’t be worse than the last one right? Wrong, with an increase in taxes and the abolition of the Feast of Fools comes new hardship. Not to mention the arrival of a number of rich aristocrats, including Prince John, begins to add extra strain to the already starving town. But Maid Marion has a plan and with the help of Robin Hood, will the children of Sherwood be able to pull off the heist of the season?
This year, and this production, marks the tenth anniversary of the Rose Youth Theatre collaborating with the Rose Theatre to create a Christmas show. Their first production was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and since then, they’ve mainly been performing newly-realised fairy and folktales including: A Christmas Carol (twice), The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Hansel and Gretel, The Snow Queen, Beauty and The Beast and Peter Pan.
The set design is imaginative, representing a deconstructed forest. The lighting creates an image of watching light as it falls down amongst tightly packed trees. The fire burning in a pit at the centre of the stage reminds us that this is very much a fireside story. The twinkly lights give the feel that something magical is about to happen and as the lights go down, we are excited to see what story will unfold.
The talent of the cast is phenomenal. We see the blue cast on press night and we are absolutely blown away by their performances, especially the performance of the actor playing Prince John who both manages to challenge and play to the caricature created by Disney. Emma Manton’s performance of Marion is quite something; her voice is equally melodic and impassioned and the audience enjoy seeing her character arc from a victim of circumstances to taking ownership of her narrative. Andrew Whitehead flits between sinister and satirical in his portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham, creating a truly iconic villain that we all love to hate. We are quite surprised by this redemption arc but it takes the length of the show for this to happen, which creates a very satisfying ending, blending this particular tale with the legend of Father Christmas.
That being said, the audience doesn’t get to see Robin Hood all that much and, given that the tale is grounded in his legend, we would have liked to have seen a lot more of him in the show.
On another note, this show’s main success is in its ability to really engage the audience. From comedy that is tailored around both adult and child audiences alike making sure that everyone feels included to original songs, that not only sound gorgeous to listen to but really immerse us in the world of the show. It is a joy to hear everyone joining in as the cast invites us all to sing a Christmas song, creating a special festive atmosphere that is unique to the winter season shows. You can tell that the cast is having fun telling the story and as a result, the audience is right there with them, having a laugh and sharing in the catharsis that comes with interacting with any form of the Robin Hood legend.
A fun and festive night out for all the family, a show that really hits the bullseye.
*** Four stars
Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill