THE AUDIENCE at The Fairbourne Dodders’ Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood were delighted by what must be one of the first productions on the annual pantomime calendar.
The show centred around the evil Sheriff of Nottingham kidnapping the babes and Robin and his band of merry men setting out to rescue them.
There were plenty of opportunities for the crowd to get involved in the action – from the booing, hissing and cheering the baddies and goodies to a good old fashioned singalong to the Robin Hood theme tune.
Every performer of the cast, from the youngsters to the older ones, played their part in making it a very enjoyable evening.
Sian Brookes was a solid Robin and Lou Griffin was suitably evil as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Among the pick of the performances on the evening were Phil Stuart as the excellent panto dame Nurse who really got the crowd going and Sarah Lloyd and James Cartwright as the Sheriff’s soldiers Bo and Arry. There were plenty of great one-liners in this show and they had more than their fair share which they delivered well, with their great chemistry and fantastic comedy timing.
Stand-in Sid Griffin was also brilliant as risque monk Friar Tuck and everytime he entered the fray, there was a chuckle of anticipation from the adults in the audience about what he was going to say next.
His comical duet with the Nurse – singing Grease classic You’re the One that I Want – was one of the memorable parts of the first half.
The classroom scene with Nurse teaching the children saw the quick fire gags coming thick and fast and that, along with the hilarious singing of the ‘Siam national anthem’, produced plenty of laugh out loud moments.
All in all, this was a wonderful way to kick off the panto season and the show is well worth a watch.
The remaining performances take place at 7.30pm tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).
Anyone wanting more information or tickets, which are £6 for adults and £4 for children, can call Lesley Bodley on 07788 684412.
