Following a twelve month hiatus, The Outfit Theatre Company returns to the stage with possibly their most commercially and critically successful of enterprises; the kids’ holiday show. The ensemble nature of the company’s management has been reduced to the show’s producers; Sarah Graham and Ema Barton, seemingly in exchange for a plethora of writers; Colin Garlick, Andrew Ford, Jatinder Singh, and Christ Tempest, who have been charged with penning yet another adaptation of the legend of Robin Hood.

Said titular legend is played by Jordan Mooney, a truly fearless actor, whose commitment to the role has children (surprisingly) quietly engaged. A quick gesture or line to the audience, however, has both adults and children laughing out loud, the fourth-wall comedy proving to be the most successful. As the Sheriff of Nottingham, Ford uses his full vocal range and the physical particularisations unique to pantomime to present a brilliant caricature. [More]

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A large empty black traverse stage sprawls before a giant white screen covering the large stage wall at one end. An audience seats itself in quiet anticipation, not much going on here, until suddenly there is.

Melodic strings arise as an effusive female Will Scarlet (Amanda Tito) enters to convey her wide-eyed simple optimism upon the world in rhyme and song, and we are quickly introduced to all the players, bar the title character and his arch-rival in combat, both saved for more momentous entrances.

Utilising a selection of iconic characters from the famous English legend, the story is by and large an original one: The nefariously smarmy Sheriff on Nottingham (Andrew Ford) and despicably languorous Prince John are raising taxes to prohibitive levels, in a bid to collar up all of the prime real-estate that is Sherwood forest for their most heinous capitalistic venture yet: a multi-level shopping mall.

Problem is you see, Robin Hood’s not around to stop them, having gone travelling abroad quite some time ago, and no-one besides Will is entirely sure when, or if he is to return.

Simon Ward’s friendly, laid back and slightly flustered Friar Tuck seems to be suffering a mid-life identity crisis of some sort, as his secret sartorial dreams are revealed to explain his questionable collusions with the enemy.

Jacqui Nauman plays an at-first winsome and earnest ‘Lady Marian’, struggling as much as any of her neighbours to meet the excessive tax demands. But when it comes to the crunch, she shows she can play hardball with the best, or is that worst of them – and whose side is she really on anyway? 

Lauren Gibson is a delight as Maid Marian’s decrepit companion, credited as ‘Blind Old Woman’, whose random presence would simply seem to be for comedy and exposition, unless of course it turns out there’s more to her than meets the eye or something… 

As big lug Little John and hard case Allen-a-Dale, Brad Johnson and James Jennings are a fine comedy duo. It does seem a bit of a shame that more isn’t made of Allen-a-Dale’s musicianship or Little John’s physical might, being their archetypal features and, I’d have thought, rich with entertainment potential.

When the man himself eventually turns up, his comrades are somewhat cagey towards him, not exactly thrilled (except Will) to see the man who they felt abandoned them at a critical time.  Jordan Mooney’s Robin turns out to be a bit of an egocentric, insensitive git with a touch of Alan Partridge about him, albeit perhaps with more justified arrogance.

However, now he’s back and ready to make good on the deplorable state his beloved home forest has fallen onto in his absence, marching on the Prince and Sheriff with clear demands on pain of his trademark humiliation. 

But! The dastardly duo have an Ace up their sleeve, a fierce Warrior they’ve brought back from a recent expedition to the South Pacific: ‘Sir Guy from Gisborne’ (Jatinder Singh), a man of few words (for reasons revealed in due course) and remarkable fighting skills that echo those of Star Trek’s Mr Spock.

The minimal production design is ideal for such a rapid-fire succession of often highly physical scenes, with too many delightful details to mention.  Gayle Jackson’s costume design is particularly impressive, from Marian’s lovely frocks to the Sheriff’s Blackadderesque outfit; not to mention the merry-men’s enviable green tights.

I gather the principal writers (Ford, Singh, Colin Garick and Chris Tempest) have worked closely with the cast to effectively devise a hilarious show, evidently without restriction apart from the Yackety Sax chase music which appears to be an Outfit family theatre tradition.

Anyway, it’s rather silly really and great fun, so go. 

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