REVIEW: Canadian Stage’s Robin Hood panto is anti-capitalist fun for the whole family
iPhoto caption: Members of the company of 'Robin Hood.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
As a child, I tagged along with a friend and her family to see a few of Ross Petty’s holiday pantomimes over the years. I have fond memories of giving in to that feral urge of yelling at the stage, unencumbered by traditional theatre etiquette. Sitting in the enchanted-forest-esque Winter Garden Theatre to watch Robin Hood: A Very Merry Family Musical brought back that childlike thrill, with many a nudge-nudge-wink-wink for the adult in me too. In classic pantomime fashion, the show adapts a classic tale with gender-bent characters and covers of existing songs; and, most importantly, it feeds off of the audience’s cheers, boos, and heckles.
Matt Murray’s adaptation places Robin Hood (Julia Pulo) as a small business owner in the (loosely) medieval town of Roncesvalleshire (a pander I loved as a proud resident of Roncy). Robin Hood is a control freak facing the moral dilemma of selling her handmade hoodies through monstrous conglomerate “Glamazon” to get more business. Once she discovers the exploitative practices of Glamazon interim CEO (and standout star of the show) Prince John (Damien Atkins), Robin and her former nursemaid Sparklebottom (Daniel Williston) take action to redistribute the wealth.
Pulo is a sturdy lead with powerful vocal chops, offering an endearing portrayal of a flawed but goodhearted protagonist. At times, she threw in some unnecessary, albeit impressive, vocal riffs and opt-ups, distracting from the emotional beats of the story. But in her defense, there’s only so much you can do to make an American Authors cover exciting. Pulo’s strongest moments are in the second act when she has the opportunity to play more with physical comedy and team up with the dancing aficionado Little John (Julius Sermonia) and Danny Devito-like Friar Tuck (Eddie Glen).
Director Mary Francis Moore keeps the two hour-long show’s pacing tight, keeping hold of short attention spans with constant fun. The 20-minute intermission drags the show on a bit, but serves as a necessary body break for kiddos to run around the theatre.
The ensemble carries Robin Hood with electric energy. Their execution of Jennifer Mote’s peppy yet run-of-the-mill choreography was not the absolute cleanest on the night I attended, but their enthusiasm and animated faces more than made up for it. They especially shine as Prince John’s backup dancers in “Money (That’s What I Want),” slickly executing Mote’s jazzy choreography.
The iconic Petty retired in 2023, soon anointing Canadian Stage to carry on the legacy of his annual holiday musical. Back when he still graced the stage, Petty would often play the villain, decked out in wickedly glamorous drag. The often queer-coded foils have an allure that has always drawn me in, and being an adult hasn’t changed that one bit.
Following Petty’s legacy of scene-stealing, Damien Atkins as the evil Prince John is easily the greatest delight of the show. He seems completely at home in the role, revelling in the boos and taunting rowdy children from his throne of gold coins. Ming Wong’s costuming makes him look like a more punk version of David Bowie in Labyrinth, and it absolutely rocks.
Wong dresses the rest of the cast in brightly coloured patchwork, gleefully complementing Brandon Kleiman’s set design. His Casa Loma Castle looks like it’s made of Melissa & Doug jumbo cardboard blocks, which unlocked warm childhood memories from the recesses of my brain.
As is to be expected in a contemporary show appropriate for Gen Alpha and Gen Z audiences, Murray’s script threw many lines of slang at the wall, and they didn’t stick. Hearing Friar Tuck say “that’s tea” is cringeworthy at best, though perhaps not as bad as the improvised “six-seven” reference he made during a sequence where kids were brought up on stage. While I don’t expect to be the target audience for every joke, the attempts at being relevant with chronically online youth seem to cheapen the otherwise clever writing.
What completed my pantomime experience was being immersed in the reactions of the children around me. Williston as Sparklebottom was especially skilled at interacting with the boisterous opening night crowd; he deftly made a callback to a child’s heckle about Taco Bell and the whole exchange got a lot of chuckles. Aside from jesting with the children, Sparklebottom delivers many of the show’s coded raunchy jokes for the adults. I was pleasantly shocked at the number of vulgar quips, and judging by the uproar of belly laughs in the crowd, I wasn’t the only one.
Catching Robin Hood is a delightful way to celebrate the holidays with your loved ones, regardless of age. Whether you’re into internet humour, the glitz of musicals, or taking down corrupt corporations, there’s a thrill in this show for you — and perhaps your inner child too.
Robin Hood: A Very Merry Family Musical runs at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre until January 4. More information is available here.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
Gus Lederman
Gus Lederman (they/he) is a writer and performer in Tkaronto. Currently, they’re in their last semester of OCAD University’s Creative Writing program, where they were Editor-in-Chief of the first edition of the student literary journal, Pulse. Gus participated in the 2024 New Young Reviewers Program with Toronto Fringe, and has since written for Canopy Magazine. They enjoy composing original music, writing plays, and are passionate about climate justice, trans-ness, and puppetry.
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