Review: Robin Hood

Stories about Robin Hood have been around since the 14th century, but until the end of the 18th century they were available only through spoken storytelling, ballads, games and plays. It’s not really possible to pinpoint them to one particular writer of the tales or when exactly they came into existence.

It was Joseph Ritson, however, who finally gathered five centuries of stories and published them, putting them in some semblance sequential order.

Robin Hood was adapted by playwright Greg Banks from the 1956 book, The Adventures of Robin Hood, by British author Roger Lancelyn Green. Staged as part of B Street’s Family Series, the play covers five of Green’s stories, woven together into a one-act story. It’s performed here by five talented actors, each of whom plays more than one role, except Darek Riley, who makes for a handsome Robin Hood throughout.

The show is captivating for children, and fun for adults, too, There’s lots of action, with men swinging from trees, big bows and arrows, great sword fights and some interaction with the children from the audience, each whom beamed when chosen to shoot one of the invisible arrows from a bow.

The set by Samantha Reno is magical, bringing the entire audience into Sherwood Forest with the hundreds of Mylar leaves hanging overhead throughout the entire theater.