Text by Jennifer Sarah Dean. Music and Lyrics by Maxwell Simon
A singing-and-dancing hour of highly entertaining, family fun that focuses on the importance of friendship, teamwork and moral choices in Robin Hood
Reviewed by Rachael Vassallo
The Queens Theatre, Adelaide
Until 16th March, 2025
Tickets: https://www.melbourneshakespeare.com/robinhood
Type: Children’s entertainment, colourful, moral
If you liked: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Peter and the Starcatcher
Melbourne Shakespeare Company presents a fun and engaging production that will delight children and adults alike. There comes a time to introduce children to the theatre and I think it’s important to ensure children fall out of love with screens and instead fall in love with real live performance. It is also integral that children born in today’s world are taught the importance of compassion and sharing in a world currently filled with greed. With years of experience directing children’s performance, Carl Whiteside‘s Robin Hood is the complete package of entertainment and education for kids.
Robin Hood retells the endearing story of its titular archer who steals from the wealthy and gives to the poor – with an Australian twist. It also includes a contemporary take on the Merry Men. Robin Hood is a musical consisting of all original songs performed and sung by a small cast of five performers who also double as the characters. The plot is simplistic, as the impoverished Robin Hood and his Merry Men get caught stealing food from their wealthy local sheriff, they must accept the consequences. As punishment, they are sent as convicts to Australia where they search for enough gold to be sent back to their home, Sherwood Forest.
This production is enjoyably slow-paced, which I find is not common in contemporary children’s entertainment. Offering children slower entertainment lets them truly appreciate the media that they are watching instead of simply providing a smorgasbord of flashing dopamine. Friendship, teamwork and moral lessons are a focus of this performance, with the pacing aiding greatly in their delivery. A compassionate climax tugs at the heartstrings as Robin Hood and his Merry Men must choose whether to spend their newfound wealth, either on themselves or choose instead to help others.
MSC performances often begin with some audience participation. Though Robin Hood had audience participation the whole way through, all audience members have the opportunity to participate in the performance. I feel this would be suitable for children who are shy or struggle with spontaneous noise. There’s plenty for the adults to enjoy, such as the tasteful jokes that children would not grasp including references to insurance, politics and Hey Hey it’s Saturday. I also enjoyed the mocking of screens and computers and emphasising on outdoor fun.
Leah Downey‘s set employs brilliant, bright colours which capture and ignite the imagination
Leah Downey‘s set employs brilliant, bright colours which capture and ignite the imagination. Sheets of material dyed various colours is used to represent different locations such as green tie dye cloths representing Sherwood Forest and a shimmering blue scrim to represent Australia. The set also included a very musical boat which has seats that double as percussion instruments. Costumes, designed by Jemima Eva expertly inform the audience about the characters, these costumes appearing to be designed specifically for this work. The costume of Dame Tuck (Jackson Cross) was particularly intricate, incorporating antique lace.
A highly successful production, this performance appeared to be fully sold out with a large portion of the audience being made up of 3-10 year olds. Pack a picnic and make a day of it – children will enjoy the vibrant and heartwarming performance, while there’s plenty to appeal to the parents too. The production is suitable for kids aged two and up and runs for 60 minutes.
Theatre Thought: Theatre can be a great tool to teach kids about compassion, interpersonal relationships and moral choices. What compassionate choices have you made today?
CAST
Lucy May Knight – Little Joan
Billy Thomas – Robin Hood
Jackson Cross – Dame Tuck
Kaia Reyes – Cherif of Nottingham
Daniel Hillman – Bushranger Bruce
CREATIVES
Artistic Director – Jennifer Sarah Dean
Producer – Michael Mack
Director – Carl Whiteside
Stage Manager – Frankie Lupton
Musical Director – Maxwell SImon
Assistant Musical Director – Jackson Cross
Costume Designer – Jemma Eva
Set Designer – Leah Downey
Assistant Director – Julia Landberg
Marketing Coordinator – Bridget Sweeney
