Robin Hood by Campus West
Reviewed 9 December 2023
5/5
This Robin Hood hits the target!
Robin Hood is a difficult story for a pantomime, but Campus West in Welwyn Garden City have come up trumps.
While the script by Jonas Cemm (who also directs) and Jo Sargent (who plays the Sherriff of Nottingham) may be a little wordy at times – there is a lot of story to get through – the energetic cast do a great job of keeping it zipping along. On the afternoon we attended, the audience seemed particularly tough, but by the interval the kids (and their parents) were up and dancing along.
Musical director Kris Rawlinson does a great job at bringing out the best of the cast in the big numbers and there are some truly amazing voices!
There are some great jokes, and some very funny references to game shows throughout, but particularly at the end of Act 1 when Rowan Kitchen as Gayle of Gisborne blew the roof off with her stunning vocals.
Kieran Parrot and Dora Gee work really well together as Robin and Marion respectively, although this Marion is a little feisty! Thanks to the unique layout of the venue, they spend quite a bit of time in amongst the audience, as do other members of the cast, and the interaction adds to the bubbly atmosphere.
With some lovely traditional scenery (we particularly liked the Tree of Truth), and simply stunning medieval based costumes, it is a delight to watch, and it was great to see a UV scene too. Simple, but very effective.
There is also an ‘adults-only’ version of the show on certain dates and based on the energy (and jokes) on show in the family version, I am sure those evenings will be suitably raucous.
While there may be no star names, this Robin Hood truly hit the target!
Robin Hood runs until 3rd January 2024.