Robin Hood At The Dukes, Lancaster Review

Reviewed by Catherine Joyce

I always think December is a magical month, especially when you have children, and there’s nothing better than a Christmas show to get you in the festive spirit. We are huge fans of the Dukes theatre in the centre of Lancaster, who specialise in bringing something a little different to the stage. We have seen many of their Christmas productions over the last few years so I was really pleased when we were invited to see their latest Christmas show, Robin Hood.

For the last 11 years their Christmas production has been in The Round theatre however this year they have moved back into the Rake theatre, a bigger theatre enabling many more people to enjoy the production. With a larger stage it also offered the opportunity for a more elaborate set which really helped set the scene for the night.

Robin Hood isn’t a story that springs to mind when you think of a Christmas show, however it does lend itself beautifully to all the traditions of panto. There’s the evil (but good looking!!) sheriff, good guy Robin Hood along with plenty of opportunities for audience participation. Add plenty of corny jokes, the Pendle Witches and a little romance and it’s perfect Christmas entertainment. I do have to say that at times it was difficult to boo the Sheriff of Nottingham as we were enjoying Lucas Cheong Smith’s moves so much!

As we have come to expect from the creative team at The Dukes, this production brings a local twist to the traditional story of Robin Hood. Andrew Pollard has skilfully retold the story with this version of the traditional tale set in Lancaster, where the evil Sheriff has travelled north and has his eye on the Forest of Bowland. He plans to build a gated concrete community for himself however the forest is owned by Marian, a successful sheep farmer, but he’s not a man to let this get in his way! With the help of a magic potion from the Pendle Witches he plans to enchant Marian so she will marry him and then the forest will become his! Luckily Robin Hood is hot on the Sheriff’s heels and with the help of the audience plans to defeat the evil Sheriff so everyone can live happily ever after in true fairytale style.

With a talented cast of five the actors play multiple roles and the night is filled with plenty of corny jokes and funny songs. The story is very well written with lots of double entendres that go over the head of children but appeal to the adults. With swift costume changes and plenty of humour the whole cast really were amazing. Throughout the performance there are many musical performances from the cast, playing various instruments and singing a selection of pleasant and original songs. The Sheriff singing “I Get What I Want” in an Elvis style was a definite hit – especially with the ladies in the audience!

The audience were encouraged to join in with the songs and if your seats are at the front, you might just find yourself as one of Robin’s Merry Men – just watch out for the infamous sea serpent of Morcambe!

It was also really good to see that this performance was signed, opening the magic of theatre to those who are hard of hearing.

This really is the best Christmas show I have seen for a very long time, it’s incredibly funny, appeals to both children and adults and is the perfect way to start the Christmas festivities. I suggest you get your tickets soon as some shows are already sold out.

Rating: A well deserved 5 out of 5

Robin Hood is at the Duke’s Theatre Lancaster until 31st December, for more information or to book tickets visit https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/theatre/robin-hood or call the box office on 01524 598500

The Dukes, Moor Lane, Lancaster,
LA1 1QE