Right On Target

Dark, mysterious and tragic this play is not; which, is very odd when one takes a look at the trailer created by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for their winter production of The Heart of Robin Hood. It’s no surprise then that when I walked into the theatre, I was a bit taken aback by not only the colourful floral stage setting, but also the masses of families in the audience; many with children sporting Peter Pan-esque type hats.

The first thing that really strikes you is the stage design. The brilliant Royal Shakespeare theatre immediately grabs your attention with its curved wall backdrop which is used continually used throughout the play. The cast continually slide down it at brilliant speeds to create truly heroic entrances, or abseil up the rather steep slope showing off their muscle and strength – it looks like great fun. The circular wooden theatre seems completely at home in the medieval fairytale as Börkur Jonsson, the set designer, covers the traditional wooden boards with an artificial lawn. Coupled with the tree branches that seem to defy gravity above the stage, the flowers that spiral down the wooden columns within the audience, and the small lake to the right of the stage, which comical actors continually jump into, the audience are already enchanted by the time they’ve sat down and opened their programmes.

Initially, I felt slightly sceptical, due to the fact I was not expecting the introduction to feature a comical ‘Buttons-esque’ sidekick to wander on stage and proceed to make the micky out of himself and make the audience laugh. However, after getting over the shock of this not being a dark tragedy, but rather, a joyful re-adaptation of the classic tale of Robin Hood, I began to relax and thoroughly enjoy myself. This time, Robin Hood is not our traditional hero. He robs from the rich…and takes for himself. He appears to have no heart and comes across as a rather arrogant and sexist character, Yet, unsurprisingly, the audience find themselves still loving the protagonist from the start. Maybe it is due to the fact we all know deep down Hood can never remain a bad character, or perhaps we find his confidence attractive, his fiery passion intoxifying, the way he humiliates the nobles hilarious or, perhaps, because he seems to have his chest on view for the entirety of the play. Marion is also transformed from our usual damsel in distress to a fiery hero, and who wishes only to escape from her boring ‘trapped’ life. Mirroring Viola in Twelfth Night, she dresses up as a man so as to join Hood’s gang and soon finds herself falling for the lead rogue. Accompanied by her hilariously camp sidekick they escape to the forest, from the clutches of the evil Prince John, and it is clear Marion is the one whom will teach Hood to be the hero we all know and adore. She teaches him trust, to be compassionate and, sigh, to find his heart.

David Farr, the playwright and current associate director of the RSC, definitely wanted to emphasise that this re-adaptation was the product of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has written a play full of references and nods to the old Bard, including the traditional storyline featuring a female trying to pass off as a male, a variety of other comical disguises, trap doors and the classic evil villain whom is in love with the heroine. What a spectacle!

However, the play wouldn’t be so great without it’s spectacular range of actors. James McArdle, who during the summer gave an outstanding performance in the National Theatre’s ‘Emperor and Galilean’, is a fantastic Robin Hood. He smoothly and convincingly shows Hood’s transformation from a bitter and egotistic rogue to a caring yet still confident and witty hero. Marion is played by the short-haired Iris Roberts. She makes Marion enthusiastic, sarcastic and edgy – a rather large step away from other interpretations – which fits in perfectly with the play’s storyline and sets up a brilliant comic contrast between her clownish accomplice, Pierre, and herself. A further young actor who shines on stage is Martin Hutson, who plays the evil Prince John. His ability to be sinister to the point of disturbing – once ordering his henchmen to cut out a man’s tongue which proceeds to occur on stage – and yet wildly manic and ridiculous makes him the bad guy we love to hate. I often find it rather delightful that the RSC are not fearful of taking on relatively unknown actors as leads. These recent drama graduates often perform to their best ability, as if they have something to prove and consequently, most of the time, the plays are of extremely high quality. This is something that The Heart of Robin Hood certainly proves.

These actors deliver great performances at the same time as performing Olympic type stunts; which makes you wonder why most of their lines are not delivered out of breath. The Icelandic director Gísli Orn Garðarsson works with the ropes, the flowers and the trees to incorporate his trademark aerialism into the play. The actors skilfully climb up and down the ropes as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and there is one teeth clenching moment where James McArdle hoists himself up onto one of the many ropes, ties the end of it around his feet and lets himself dangle freely to suggest he is dead. This is a dreadfully suspense moment during the play anyway, but it is now coupled by the fact the knot holding McArdle’s ankles together does not look like it is tight or complex enough do so. One small mistake and we will be witnessing one of our favourite heroes plunging to his death whilst simultaneously providing many a child with a haunting memory bound to disturb them forever. However, these acrobatic stunts make for an even more exciting production and cause one to become fully immersed in the tale of these merry men. The ultimate example of these outstanding acrobatic performances is the final scene, which features James McArdle and Iris Roberts suspended in the sky, performing a beautiful and magical dance in the air using just thin leather ropes. It not only shows off just quite how athletic and dedicated these actors must be, but makes for a beautiful and touching finish to the play.

Despite the occasional moment when the comedy appeared to miss it’s mark and the initial surprise caused by the RSC’s somewhat misguided publicising, the play is a brilliant and loveable thing to witness, particularly during Christmas. Not to be mistakenly considered at all like a pantomime, this production is full of enjoyable moments, incredible stunts and loveable characters; the play leaves the audience beaming. It had a lot to live up to when one considers the RSC’s previous winter production, Maltilda, which has since transferred to the West End and is enjoying sold out performances and five star reviews. But Farr’s play definitely does not disappoint, and he makes sure this winter production is as thoroughly enjoyable. You’ll leave happy and beaming, and kind of jealous you can’t be five years old again and therefore, have an excuse to purchase a green hat and a wooden sword from the gift shop, to play with all the way home.