Review: LITTLE RED ROBIN HOOD, Battersea Arts Centre
Review: LITTLE RED ROBIN HOOD, Battersea Arts Centre
Little Red Robin Hood is glittering, chaotic and jolly – just brilliant.
Sleeping Trees are their very own brand. Producing boutique panto mash-ups that don’t really make sense which makes perfect sense, each year they manage to create a bizarrely marvellous although completely chaotic on-stage microcosm. The trio is not in it, just behind (you) the wheel – they left the acting to three young performers: Miya James, Sam Rix and Simone Cornelius.
Disguised as BAC’s friendly ushers who just happened to know the show by heart, Miya and Simone decide to step in when the entire cast of “the biggest panto in the UK” is stuck on the Tube and the superstar goes MIA. It’s very meta-sweet – I was an usher and believe my words, this is a theatre fantasy come true. With help of a certain delivery boy – Rix – they do double, triple and quadruple acts of Red Riding Hood (very capable and insanely relatable James), her mum, Big Bad Wolf and Robin Hood (versatile Cornelius with a voice crystal-clear and resonant) and Sheriff, grandma who is also Cher – yes, the Turn-Back-Time-Cher so that the mums and dads in the audience get some fun too (Rix – outstanding comedic timing, particularly with the audience so young).
Red Robin Hood – here known as the Little Red, or as her mum calls her, Scarlett – is the only one brave enough to say no to Sheriff as he plans to turn the beautiful Sherwood Forest into a carpark, complete with a little café where cars sip on their car-ppuccinos. He already imprisoned Robin Hood – his only worthy adversary. But Little Red has no intention of giving up – with the help of her mum and grandma/Cher, she fights to protect the forest, stop the carpark construction and release her hero Robin Hood, whilst of course, learning valuable lessons of friendship and ethics.
The entire show is just beyond endearing – and perfect for the little ones to learn theatre etiquette (including a brilliant explanation of what interval is and how to do it right) as well as pantomime’s very own etiquette. It’s chaotic in its simplicity and simple in its chaos, and much more family-friendly than your usual panto. Adults my age – too young for Cher, too old for poo-pants – will probably find it slightly dull, but that’s alright. For what it aims to do, Little Red Robin Hood is glittering, chaotic and jolly – just brilliant.
Battersea Arts Centre, until 8 January
Image: Ali Wright
