Review: Robin Hood at Oldham Coliseum is a “lighthearted, true delight”

The pantomime Robin Hood gets the parents and adults involved as much as the children and it is a true delight.

Chris Lawson wrote the pantomime along with Fine Time Fontayne and it is a fun and over the top retelling of the classic story of Robin Hood.

Everyone’s favourite thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

A true beloved hero. As well as interactions with the audience, they have popular songs performed by the cast and it is a joy to watch.

I am sat next to a young boy, and he is loving it!

His voice and reactions are the most excited out of everyone in the theatre.

The roles of the Merry Men are played by a group of young performers who are also the dancers of the show and the guards for the Sheriff.

There are different groups, the Blue Team, the Green Team and the Red Team.

We had the Blue Team with Scarlett Jones and Harry Oliver playing The Babes.

The dancers are fantastic and have so much energy! They look like they love being on stage and performing which makes the songs all that much better.

Adele Taylor choreographed the performances, and they did a great job with it.

Despite the movements being not all that complicated, the dancers pulled it off with effort and conviction.

Celia Perkins designed the costumes and how vibrant and imaginative they are!

The costumes for Nurse Nelly are so colourful and big and every costume change has the audience cheering and whistling for them.

My favourite outfit was easily the hot air balloon.

There is a moment where the extra straw part that makes the basket of the hot air balloon, is removed so it is easier for Charlie Ryan who plays Nurse Nelly, to move around and to sit down, and to slap their knees in tune to make music for the song they sing.

A highlight for me is Nurse Nelly, (played by Charlie Ryan). They have all the jokes for the adults and all the slapstick comedy for the children.

Every time they come on; they get to have a moment where they do a small section of stand-up which helps set the next scene up quite nicely.

There is a couple of moments where they break character, but it worked for the pantomime, and it brings more laughter to the show.

There are two instances of me being called out, one towards the end when we are asked what to do with the bad guys and I said very unapologetically, “Kill them!” Shorelle Hepkin who plays Robin Hood, is shocked and tries to reason with me.

Another time, Charlie Ryan calls me out when I point out a family on the other side of the theatre when going through birthdays, which is a nice touch at the end.

I cannot end this review without mentioning the man in the front row who was laughing and interacting throughout the whole show. Unfortunately, I did not get a name but whoever you are, you made my night.

Robin Hood is a fun and interactive show that gets everyone involved and has a light- hearted yet calming nature to it.

Robin Hood is playing at the Oldham Coliseum until the 7 th of January, so a perfect Christmas treat for you and the family.

You can book your tickets here.