The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood—Review

My review of the November 29th, 2007 performance of South Carleton High School’s production of “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood”, for the Cappies.

“Huzzah!” An egotistic Robin Hood, thoroughly villainous villains, and a Town’s Girl who manages to get herself into every scene—somewhat quirky? Such was South Carleton High School’s recent production of, “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood”.

A farcical, comic spin on the classic tale, Robin Hood steals from the rich to give to the poor, accompanied by his Merry Men, “the more the merrier.” However, the evil Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham will stop at nothing to capture Robin, or claim the throne. With the help of The Town’s Girl and her friend Mr. Technical director, Robin might just be able to save England.

Sam Morgan, as Robin Hood, constantly delivered his lines with energy, reflecting his character’s tremendous ego. Throughout, he kept a believable accent, which was especially difficult when he switched from an English to a Scottish accent during the play. His posture, as well as his persistent smile, exuded the confidence that Robin Hood possessed. Laura Benn, as the Town’s Girl, made good use of facial expressions and body language to add depth to her character. Her interactions with characters onstage, especially Robin Hood, showed a comfortable grasp of her role.

Prince John, played by Rosie Hoekstra, was thoroughly, dramatically evil and cowardly. Through her posture and voice, she also conveyed a sense of laziness that was befitting to her character. Rebecca Johnson, as Lady Marion, portrayed her character as dainty and graceful through her movement and expressions, even whilst wishing skin ailments upon her enemies.

Both the ensembles of the Fawning Ladies and the Merry Men provided mood setting backing to the story. The Fawning Ladies were very good at fawning, and their cheerleading scene was particularly memorable. The Merry Men were entertaining, and supported Robin nicely, especially with their bandaged ears, a result of archery practice. Little John, Scott Thomas, delivered his comic lines with effective timing.

Although there were some difficulties with the spotlight and a few lighting cues, the tech crew kept attention focused appropriately on stage, and used creative transitions between scenes. As the invisible “Mr. Technical Director,” they moved the show along nicely.

The stage for the production featured three levels and jutted somewhat into the audience. Attractive and well-designed sets clearly established setting and contributed to the mood of the production. Though the transition to intermission was rather rocky, the stage crew did accomplish excellent and unobtrusive scene changes throughout.

Directed by student Kathleen Zorzella, South Carleton’s “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood” was a solid success. The energetic cast brought this comic production to a satisfying realization.