Review: Robin Hood: Legend of the Forgotten Forest, Bristol Old Vic

Pitching a show deft enough to appeal to audience members of all ages, and ambitious enough to command the coveted Christmas slot at Bristol Old Vic, is no easy task.

With Robin Hood: Legend of the Forgotten Forest, The Wardrobe Ensemble have pulled it off with characteristic creativity, dynamism and fun.

Formed out of the Bristol Old Vic Young Company in 2010, many of the group have been rehearsing and performing on that same stage since they were teenagers, and to have earned a run with the main family show of the season is an achievement they have long dreamt of.

Directed by Tom Brennan and Helena Middleton, the show has been devised by the company, who work in a collaborative way that sees them all contributing ideas – often right up until the previews – adding in lines and making the characterisation richer.

So what can audiences expect from The Wardrobe Ensemble’s revamp of the classic Robin Hood mythology? When Bristol 24/7 met up with some of the cast members in rehearsals a few weeks prior to the show, James Newton, who plays the Sheriff of Nottingham, summed it up as “a ridiculous, medieval thrill ride, crossed with Ocean’s Eleven”.

James Newton as the Sheriff of Nottingham – photo: Craig Fuller

And he’s not wrong. Robin Hood is a riotous romp of a production that dials up the daft, the fun, and the theatrical to maximum. Newton’s Nottingham is a wonderful, self-obsessed baddie played with humour and eccentricity, but with it, a sense of paranoia and lack of confidence that ultimately attracts pity, over fear. This is a lesson that heroism can come from unexpected places; and a tale that from mistakes and sorrow, renewed determination and courage can emerge.

The show has everything thrown at it – from a heist, to a time travel sub-plot, and a resolution that neatly ties up both key stories. But it zips along, with pacey dialogue and no fat on the bones. Never patronising its audience, but aware that it must carry everyone with it, key moments are brilliantly paragraphed with slo-mo action underscored by musical accents.

Kerry Lovell as Robin and Dorian Simpson as JJ – photo: Craig Fuller

Dorian Simpson plays JJ, the unlikely hero, with aplomb – he is an earnest and open-hearted boy thrown out of his own time and into the world of Sherwood Forest in the 12th century. His transition from bookish introvert to confident young man neatly frames the narrative, as he inadvertently becomes the catalyst to getting the old gang back together as they plan to rob the vaults of Nottingham Castle.

Kerry Lovell is inspired casting as Robin, and it strikes me when she spars with Maid Marion (fantastically played by Katja Quist) how refreshing it is to be watching swordfighting between two gallant women on stage.

Wardrobe favourite Jesse Meadows has many of the funniest lines as frequently drunk inside-woman, Friar Tuck, but it is Tom England as Will Scarlet who steals the show, and that’s even before he’s started dancing.

Dorian Simpson as JJ and Tom England as Will Scarlet – photo: Craig Fuller

Anna Orton’s deceptively simple and effective set, and excellent costume design, allows for easy transitions between JJ’s local library, Sherwood Forest, and various halls and dungeons of Nottingham Castle. And the cast members also switch seamlessly between characters, allowing them to portray guards, merchants and friars along the way.

There are set pieces, song and dance numbers, light sticks, characters climbing into the air and flying from the ceiling, and – at two separate points – real fire. There is a genuine joy in the aesthetic. It’s unashamedly big, silly, full of jokes, and yet there are moments of darkness, too.

But ultimately, the balance of light and dark is well-judged. And as with any satisfying theatrical experience, the narrative arc is not without its emotive punches. The ending brings with it not only a love story for Marion and Robin, and an adventure completed for the whole merry gang, but a journey of self-discovery realised for JJ. His renewed confidence and firmer sense of himself in the world allows him to go and make a friend – of someone perhaps who has yet to make the same rite of passage.

Jesse Meadows as Friar Tuck, with James Newton – photo: Craig Fuller

There are also a couple of perfectly judged singalong moments in the final section of the show, evoking fond 30 year-old memories for many of the audience members.

Robin Hood is a show with a huge amount of heart that entertains throughout and looks like a joy to perform. For a contemporary, exhilarating and memorable theatrical experience for the whole family at Christmas, it will be hard to rival. My daughter’s review perhaps said it best: “It was brilliant. And I loved Robin because she is a girl like me and she saved the day”.

Production poster – image: Ben Robins

Robin Hood: Legend of the Forgotten Forest (recommended for 7+) is at Bristol Old Vic until January 8 2022. Showtimes are 10am, 2pm and 7pm and vary between days (see website for details). There are socially-distanced performances on December 7, 8, 15, 18 and 29 and January 2, 4 and 6. Signed, Captioned, Relaxed and Audio Described performances are also available. Tickets can be booked at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

Main photo: Craig Fuller

Read more: Robin Hood revamped for Christmas

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