THE first of this year’s ‘Storyhouse in the Park’ season at Chester’s Grosvenor Park is Outlaws, a swashbuckling romp that riffs on English folklore.
Tales of Robin [the] Hood and his exploits are so many and varied that it is impossible to find what might be called a definitive text to compare this with, but it feels very much as though Kieran Lynn’s new play owes a lot to the Child Ballad ‘Robin Hood and Little John’ and to Howard Pyle’s ‘Merry Adventures of Robin Hood’. Meanwhile, in its staging, it gives us a feel of being swept back to Shakespearian times (from when many of these tales originate), and we could be in a Jacobean theatre as a drummer and musicians herald the opening.
King John (David Ahmad) is concerned by ongoing reports of a mysterious outlaw ‘The Hood’, and hopes are pinned on a newly appointed Sheriff of Nottingham (Lucas Button) to track him down and bring him to account.
Meanwhile, we meet Robin (seemingly surprised to discover that he has gained such notoriety) and his rival-turned-sidekick Little John, the pair played by Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings and Perry Moore. Realising that they will need to up their game if they are to outwit the establishment, Robin decides to appoint a band of ‘Merry Men’ – an epithet that he begins to regret when his rapid recruitment process actually assembles a trio of women.
Scarlett, Much and Alana (Rebecca Bainbridge, Zoe Lambert and Abigail Middleton) are a feisty bunch, and along with Robin and John they set about stealing a hoard of gold from the King’s men.
Meanwhile, of course, we encounter Marian (Annabelle Aquino) who conceals her noble birth as daughter of Lady Fitzwalter, because she wants to align herself with Robin’s quest, ultimately becoming his ally and potential love interest.
Whilst it certainly contains food for thought in some of its startlingly contemporary-feeling social and political parallels, this is the stuff of good old fashioned Saturday morning cinema, and the script invites lively and humorous direction from Hannah Noone, who draws high energy performances from her cast. My allusions to Jacobean theatre stem from both the way it is staged and the use of stylised, rhythmic music that really gives a period feel to the telling, but when you first realise that the lyrics, and then the tunes, are actually coming from pop songs, it certainly raises a laugh. Right at the opening we hear what sounds like a medieval ballad, but it dawns on us that we have heard this before – it is Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out for a Hero’, in what turns out to be an inadvertent but timely tribute to the singer who died just 5 days after this production had its first performance.
The musical hits come thick and fast, as do the references to the familiar telling of Robin Hood stories, complete with an archery contest that is splendidly staged – much to the alarm of those of the audience who find themselves adjacent to the target! All the music is played by the actors on stage, and there is a raw, traditional feel to the narrative, which also revels in having its audience so closely wrapped around the stage that they have to be drawn into the performance.
There is something special about watching theatre like this in the open air, with the summer sun gradually setting, so that Ieuan Reeve’s stage lighting gradually becomes more evident. By the time the final big company number arrives to close the show, surrounded by flags and bunting on Charlotte Murphy’s ingenious set, it is dusk, and it feels like storytelling around the camp fire.
Storyhouse’s Grosvenor Park festival is in its 16th year now, and has grown into an institution. The lively, family friendly theatre performances are elevated by the atmosphere of the place, and it is well worth arriving early to soak it all up and enjoy the hospitality on offer on site.
Outlaws runs to 23rd August, and this year’s programme also features the same cast doubling in Let The Sun Shine which runs alongside it. Meanwhile, a version of Peter Pan aimed at children under 10 years begins in the park later this month, and the open air theatre will host Nell Gwynn, co-produced by Storyhouse, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre By The Lake.
Details and tickets are available here.
Star Rating 4½ stars
Review by Nigel Smith
