Robin Hood is a centuries-old character; from 14th century poetry and folklore to present day media, he has been legendary for his heroic feats as an outlaw. A figure so iconic, the term ‘Robin Hood’ itself is considered a character archetype known for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, a charismatic rebel who opposes corruption and tyranny for the common people. Today we know him in many forms, through different interpretations from live action films, animation and TV series to theatre, all in multiple genres. 

Pantomimes, more casually known as pantos, are family friendly shows filled with audience participation and slapstick comedy featuring fairytales and folk stories. It seems like the perfect fit for a character like Robin Hood. Unfortunately, this Crossroads Pantomimes production, staged at the Birmingham Hippodrome, was a disappointment.

It did excel in aspects such as the loud, bright and visually appealing set; costumes and makeup; and quality actors like Matt Slack as Robin Hood, Faye Tozer as Maid Marion and Matt Cardle as one of the original villains in the stories, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The content of the show itself was far from appropriate for the audience age guidance rating of 5+. A few implicit jokes might be normal in any panto, however they do still remain majorly kid-friendly and that was not the case here.

Simply a disgrace to an iconic figure. 

The dialogue and comedy started off decent and relevant, but progressively became more explicit with sexual innuendos and slang. It came across as cheap and out of place for the character himself, with many instances and songs entirely dependent on smutty comedy. Speaking of the main character, as mentioned earlier, Robin Hood is meant to be a hero, and while many parody and satirical versions of him exist, this was simply a disgrace to an iconic figure. 

Robin Hood was depicted as an old and out of shape bald man, and I don’t just say this in jest, all these traits were prominent features fixated on throughout the show. Hood’s headdress and bow are his key identifiers, yet neither were present here. There was an entire song sequence of him attempting to exercise to ‘get back into shape’ and fight the sheriff, yet it was only the Merry men doing the task, Robin Hood’s laziness and figure on full display, quite literally through his deliberate posture and crop top outfit, calling for ridicule as the auditorium erupted in laughter at his entrance.

I found the climax of the show to be half-hearted, the only action sequence being a sword fight, which too turned into one of the many uncomfortable phallic double-entendres. The rest of their rivalry is shown through Robin Hood and Marion’s relationship that has none of Robin’s charismatic nature, his ending line being – “finally got the girl, don’t tell the wife!”

One of the other oddities of this panto was the character of Robin Hood’s mother, named Henrietta Hood, played by Andrew Ryan. Robin’s mother being a prominent character is odd in itself, but the strangest part was not just how unnecessary and irrelevant she was, but her constant and extravagant outfit changes and hypersexual nature being her entire character. The whole point of Robin Hood is him being an outlaw and stealing from the rich, yet here, his own mother, a member of the Merry Men, flaunts her overconsumption through her fancy outlandish outfits. Additionally, one of her main sequences is a song about having a ‘wild night’, devoted to seducing the Sheriff of Nottingham, who keeps trying to push her away. It was uncomfortable to watch; she was joined by the rest of the Merry Men, dressed in the same nightgown as her, trying to get closer to the Sheriff.

I found all the characters to be flat and one-dimensional

Next up on the list of out of place characters is Gok Scarlet, played by the well known media personality, Gok Wan. This was presumably a spin on the well-known members of the Merry Men in most versions, Will Scarlet. While I found all the characters to be flat and one-dimensional, Gok still manages to have some flair. However, his character felt frivolous, much like Hood’s mother, which seems to be in opposition to Robin Hood’s entire concept. 

Regarding the audience participation, the ticket mentioned an age guidance of children aged 5 or above, so it is fair to assume the audience engagement would be directed at them. The only time children were part of the audience participation was at the end, that too with four children called up on stage for a mere 10 minutes before the finale, yet there was consistent adult engagement in the rest of the show. 

I found the whole duration to be uncomfortable, upsetting and unsatisfactory to sit through. If you simply wish to experience an hour or two of bright, flashy, loud and elaborate stageplay and animated acting filled with pop songs and garish content, this is the show for you.

Rating: 1.5/5

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