Before leaving him and his Merry Men behind, however, I thought you might like to see this lovely photo of the cast and a couple of the crew and to read the fantastic write up that the show received from local reviewer Roger Pettit… :-)
“Shadow Road Productions is a small professional theatre company based in South-West London. It specialises in presenting new and unfamiliar works in quirky, unusual ways. Its production of Robin Hood at the award-winning nature reserve in Barnes, the London Wetland Centre, demonstrates the company’s modus operandi to perfection.
Written and directed by Shadow Road’s Artistic Director, Emma King-Farlow, it’s an alfresco production – the first ever at the London Wetland Centre. Based on the Robin Hood legend, it tells the story of the outlaw’s struggle (with his band of men: Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan-a-Dale, etc.) to assist the people of Loxley in trying to overcome the ruthless reign of terror of the villainous landlord (and Prince John supporter) Guy of Gisborne.
The programme notes describe this production as “immersive”, and it’s certainly that. The audience literally follow the action as it moves from one part of the nature reserve to another. We get a wedding, spectacularly-staged sword fights, romance, death and music and songs, all skilfully staged to make the most of the spectacular outdoor setting. The cast is very talented, and I was particularly taken with Frank Teale’s performance as Gisborne. You really did want to see him get his comeuppance, thanks in no small measure to Teale’s success in portraying the cruelty, ruthlessness and sheer savagery of the character. A brilliant performance!
Robin Hood is family entertainment at its best. There’s something for everyone. The four people I went with (two adults and two young children) all thoroughly enjoyed it. I did too. On this evidence, Shadow Road Productions is a company with a very bright future.”
No comments:
Post a Comment