There is a long and glorious tradition in the UK and England of staging a Christmas pantomime for the children. A gentle, comedic musical for children six and under, there are several hallmarks of a classic pantomime: 1) There’s an older actor in drag, 2) there are musical cues for slapstick actions, and 3) the farcical version of the fairy tale adapted is very much geared to be a lighthearted children’s entertainment. Nobody dies in a pantomime. One of the classic memories was of perennial pantomime favorite John Inman’s portrayal of Mother Goose. With the presentation of CBeebies Panto: Robin Hood, we are introduced to a new cinematic version of the pantomime.
An important programming note before I go any further delving into this whimsical production. The version I watched on BBC Previews may not ultimately be the version you gentle readers can watch. You and your children may not get to see the prologue and coda prepared for the cinema with Andy Day. Instead, you might very well be thrust directly into the musical, which would not be a bad thing. Filmed live at Cymru Wales theatre, Cbeebies Panto: Robin Hood is a lighthearted, diverse, and very warm musical for children and their parents.
“Robin Hood and his merry men must protect Grandfather Oak from…the Sheriff of Nottingham…”
The setup is very Arbor day in theme: Robin Hood (Rhys Stephenson) and his merry men must protect Grandfather Oak from the predations of archer Marian’s (Maddie Moate) naughty aunt, the Sheriff of Nottingham (the deliciously wicked Jennie Dale). Over the course of an hour and change, we watch the loopy galumphing, cute song, and dance numbers and witness the merry men bake several puddings. I was personally most intrigued by the Pear pudding, which sounds like a glorious notion to fiddle with for an upcoming solstice feast.
CBeebies Panto: Robin Hood is the latest in a long line of such productions. While it was filmed on stage, I never once felt the artificiality of the stage production. The set design cleverly centered the action either around Grandfather Oak’s tree form, or it found itself set at the Sherriff’s castle. I found the scenery warm and inviting. It’s brightly colored so as to engage the child spectators. At many points in the production, they engage the child audience in lovely moments of interactivity. Whether it’s providing space for the children to disagree with the sheriff vehemently or having the audience try to assist the merry men with observations of malfeasant actions, the cast and crew have developed wonderful strategies to keep those exchanges fresh. Playwright and educator Jonathan Levy would have greatly enjoyed their approach of speaking simply, directly, and never ever down to the children. Truly, this is how you pique the interest of a fidgety audience. You allow them to figure things out from your collected performances.
CBeebies Panto: Robin Hood is a jolly good time for the entire family. If you have bored, listless children desperate for entertainment on Christmas, have them watch this loopy production of Robin Hood. I guarantee there will be smiles and cheers, especially from the 6-year-olds.
"…a jolly good time for the entire family..."
