Robin Hood: The Legend. Re-written, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre review ★★★★★
Magic and a plot twist aren’t enough to enthral us in this flighty re-write of the Robin Hood legend, showing at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Dumile Sibanda (Woodnut) and Ira Mandela Siobhan (Gisburne). Photo: Pamela Raith
Pitched as ‘the legend rewritten’ and a ‘thrilling new take’ on the Robin Hood story, the latest from Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre carried strong promise, not least because of the creatives behind it: former Kneehigh writer Carl Grose (Tristan & Yseult, Dead Dog in a Suitcase) has teamed up with visionary director Melly Still (The Wreckers, My Brilliant Friend) to bring it to the stage.
It’s a shame, then, that the resulting show doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be: is it a prequel to the tale of Robin Hood? A feminist reboot of an age-old story? A rallying cry about the climate, land ownership, and the fact the powerful have always looked to quash the rights of protesters? A folkloric pastiche? It’s a little bit of all of these things, but in flitting between so many ideas, the show struggles to make a point about anything or fully capture our imaginations. It’s supposedly suitable for kids, too, but with such a flighty plot, the chance of it captivating little minds is unlikely. Phew, then, for its flow of magic tricks to keep them entertained.
Katherine Manners (Simpkins), Dumile Sibanda (Woodnut) and Marta Miranda (Musician, Guard, Villager). Photo: Pamela Raith
Set on Chiara Stephenson’s two-tier stage, with the courtly dressed ruling class leering over the roughly clothed workers, we meet young Woodnut (an earnest Dumile Sibanda), forced to flee into the forest when her miller father Bob (Dave Fishley, stern and gutsy) is arrested for failing to pay his taxes just days after the court torched his village and killed his wife, Woodnut’s mother. In the forest, she meets not monsters but climate activists and likeable exiles. And soon, they’re joined by the dual-faceted Marion (Ellen Robertson, every ounce a contemporary heroine), partner of the power-snatching Baldwyn, who’s prepared to switch sides and help lead a rebellion with her unrivalled archery skills.
Grose’s script yo-yos between olde-worlde English and present-day lingo, with characters breaking the fourth wall to throw asides at the audience. Also infiltrating the story proper are impersonators of famous bygone Robin Hoods: a Jason Connery in leggings, a dark and sultry Michael Praed and a muscular Kevin Costner with a dodgy accent each burst onto the stage before being shooed off. There’s a worthy point in this about the enduring popularity of the tale, but the frequent disruptions to the story and the production’s inability to settle in one period mean we don’t get to know its characters properly, or care about their plight.
Shaun Yusuf McKee, Simon Oskarsson and TJ Holmes. Photo: Pamela Raith
A saving grace comes in the form of John Bulleid’s illusion design, which sees heads roll, fingers severed, fish levitate and a bloody tissue disappear. (Bulleid is also behind the equally awe-inspiring tricks in the Globe’s current production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so we’ve him to thank for making this a summer of magic on the London stage.) Here, the magic is supported by ethereal, borderless music from composer Jenny Moore, performed on drums and pipes as well as harmonising voices led by balladeer Nandi Bhebhe. It suits the production’s witchcraft motif – just another of its drifting themes – but ultimately there are too many ingredients in this cauldron, and when the story reaches its conclusion and the final twist is revealed, we’ve been pulled in too many directions for the pay-off to land.
It’s a shame, then, that the resulting show doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be: is it a prequel to the tale of Robin Hood? A feminist reboot of an age-old story? A rallying cry about the climate, land ownership, and the fact the powerful have always looked to quash the rights of protesters? A folkloric pastiche? It’s a little bit of all of these things, but in flitting between so many ideas, the show struggles to make a point about anything or fully capture our imaginations. It’s supposedly suitable for kids, too, but with such a flighty plot, the chance of it captivating little minds is unlikely. Phew, then, for its flow of magic tricks to keep them entertained.
Katherine Manners (Simpkins), Dumile Sibanda (Woodnut) and Marta Miranda (Musician, Guard, Villager). Photo: Pamela Raith
Set on Chiara Stephenson’s two-tier stage, with the courtly dressed ruling class leering over the roughly clothed workers, we meet young Woodnut (an earnest Dumile Sibanda), forced to flee into the forest when her miller father Bob (Dave Fishley, stern and gutsy) is arrested for failing to pay his taxes just days after the court torched his village and killed his wife, Woodnut’s mother. In the forest, she meets not monsters but climate activists and likeable exiles. And soon, they’re joined by the dual-faceted Marion (Ellen Robertson, every ounce a contemporary heroine), partner of the power-snatching Baldwyn, who’s prepared to switch sides and help lead a rebellion with her unrivalled archery skills.
Grose’s script yo-yos between olde-worlde English and present-day lingo, with characters breaking the fourth wall to throw asides at the audience. Also infiltrating the story proper are impersonators of famous bygone Robin Hoods: a Jason Connery in leggings, a dark and sultry Michael Praed and a muscular Kevin Costner with a dodgy accent each burst onto the stage before being shooed off. There’s a worthy point in this about the enduring popularity of the tale, but the frequent disruptions to the story and the production’s inability to settle in one period mean we don’t get to know its characters properly, or care about their plight.
Shaun Yusuf McKee, Simon Oskarsson and TJ Holmes. Photo: Pamela Raith
A saving grace comes in the form of John Bulleid’s illusion design, which sees heads roll, fingers severed, fish levitate and a bloody tissue disappear. (Bulleid is also behind the equally awe-inspiring tricks in the Globe’s current production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so we’ve him to thank for making this a summer of magic on the London stage.) Here, the magic is supported by ethereal, borderless music from composer Jenny Moore, performed on drums and pipes as well as harmonising voices led by balladeer Nandi Bhebhe. It suits the production’s witchcraft motif – just another of its drifting themes – but ultimately there are too many ingredients in this cauldron, and when the story reaches its conclusion and the final twist is revealed, we’ve been pulled in too many directions for the pay-off to land.
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| What | Robin Hood: The Legend. Re-written, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre review |
| Where | Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, Inner Cir, Westminster, London, NW1 4NU | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Regent's Park (underground) |
| When |
17 Jun 23 – 22 Jul 23, 7:45 PM – 10:05 PM |
| Price | £28+ |
| Website | Click here for more information and to book |