The programme tells us that the origins of Robin Hood are in 1220 in Yorkshire, however I used to be introduced up watching the black and white TV collection The Adventures of Robin Hood (made between 1955-1959) starring Richard Greene and for me, these characters will perpetually be outlined by these creations. It has at all times been a narrative of fine triumphing over evil, of the redistribution of wealth and of people that worth the woodlands, so I’m not positive why it must be rewritten. Carl Goose seeks to reinvent the characters for a contemporary social and political panorama with a rebalancing of gender roles and I assume to draw new audiences to the people hero. You might be at the least notified of what to anticipate by the colon and “Re-written”, it’s by no means a great signal to see punctuation within the title!

The plot and imagery used all through instructed it was developed in the identical drug-fuelled haze that the Sheriff (Alex Mugnaioni) had positioned the King (Paul Hunter) in with a flask of tea with the compliance of Simpkins (Katherine Manners). Marion (on this model the sheriff’s’ spouse) performed by Ellen Robertson, is elevated to an all-action heroine with a powerful perspective of “I’ve no curiosity, I don’t like kids”. Little John turns into a former clown with stage fright referred to as Little Joan (Charlotte Beaumont) and Friar Tuck turns into Mary Tuck (Elexi Walker). A lot the Miller (Dave Fishley) survives the rewrite, however his son turns into a woman referred to as Woodnut (Dumile Sinbanda). Will Scarlocke (Samuel Gosrani) solely turns into Will Scarlett when he’s savagely killed in a pool of blood having had his fingers chopped off early on! The dreaded Man of Gisburne, the murderer with a lust for blood in battle, turns into a self-flagellating bare-chested anti-hero (Ira Mandela Siobhan). There are some very skilled actors on this forged who deserve higher materials to work with.

After all, the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre is an ideal setting for a present set in woodlands about stopping a brand new highway being ploughed by the bushes and there could be nothing higher than sitting on summer time’s night listening to the hen calls. Nonetheless, Chiara Stephenson’s stark set of metallic and rocks, like some enormous half-finished concrete backyard from TV’s Backyard Rescue, with fluffy blue elastic to recommend (I believe) bushes and undergrowth is cumbersome and unattractive. The king sits excessive up in a single tower for lengthy intervals and characters continuously are referred to as on the climb the pillars to achieve the upper platform which represents the Citadel. The large bronze colored revolve at one level is manually turned by Bob A lot, however most instances spins easily to sign a change of scene though the looks seems the identical.

The great John Bulleid does at the least attempt to inject some magic and phantasm into the manufacturing with efficient arrows piercing the footwear of the sheriff, apples shot by whereas held aloft and the large goal for the competition, although for the reason that bowmen fireplace with their backs to the goal in the direction of the viewers, the phantasm is considerably undermined. There may be good enterprise with a floating tickled trout. The lopping off of a head which rolls throughout the stage and the finger chopping and animated fingers throughout the stage are nicely accomplished with the stability between grotesque actuality and comedian impact being excellent. 

The musical interludes have an applicable really feel of medieval really feel till the Mock Ball when we now have a trio singing “Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep”, one other childhood reminiscence of mine bursting into the story from my household vacation in Spain in 1971! “The place’s your mama gone” they sing for no apparent cause. All of it provides to the jumble of concepts that nearly bury the legend of Robin Hood with no hint. A brief burst of Clannad’s well-known theme tune for Robin of Sherwood, merely reminds you of the mysticism, authenticity and high quality of this well-known TV model, all parts lacking from this manufacturing.

At one level somebody says of Robin “He was right here, he was there and each bloody the place”, not a reference I believe to the Beatles track of 1966 nor I believe a reference to the Scarlett Pimpernel, an illusive character from the eighteenth century however maybe a reference to how the legend has advanced in folklore since Robin’s first look in 1220. No matter was meant this manufacturing won’t add to the folklore round this iconic character. 

Assessment by Nick Wayne

Score: ★★

Seat: Row M | Worth of Ticket: £65