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by Malcolm Heenman, directed by Jim Warren

Ross Petty Productions, Elgin Theatre, Toronto

December 5, 2002-January 5, 2003

"Merry Men, Women and Children"

"Robin Hood: The Merry Family Musical" is the best holiday panto that Ross Petty has ever staged.  Not only is the cast the best ever, composed of stars of the Stratford and Shaw Festivals and the National Ballet, but the writing itself is tauter and wittier and the musical selections more cleverly chosen.  This time Petty and company have got the balance just right with a show that will appeal as much to adults as it will to children.

In the past the humour in these entertainments has been strictly hit-and-miss and one tended to think that that must be part of the panto genre.  Well, not this time.  One zinger follows the next in such rapid succession that your face (and I mean you adults) may well ache from laughing.  The same goes for the music.  Petty's pantos have generally borrowed their musical numbers from widely disparate sources, but this time the choice of numbers themselves is clever.  Taking a leaf from "Mamma Mia!" virtually every number provokes a wave of laughter when we hear a familiar tune pop up in new contexts.  "I Talk to the Trees" takes on new meaning when Robin Hood sings it.  So does "Stop in the Name of Love" when Maid Marion tries to save Robin from the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Kudos are due to Malcolm Heenman, who has produced the tightest script ever, to director Jim Warren, who has kept the pace rapid and made the complex action seem effortless, and to choreographer Tracey Flye, who, due to the presence of two ballet-trained stars, has developed more complex choreography than seen before and has better integrated the dancing into the story.

It is an inspired idea to add magic to the legendary story by making Sherwood Forest rather like that in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" where it becomes a battleground for warring supernatural powers.  There a Good Fairy and the Forest Wizard strive for control of territory and for the direction of the plot by magically manipulating anyone who enters.

As the Sheriff of Nottingham, Ross Petty garners torrents of boos and hisses with his every entrance.  The kids obviously love to censure an adult so vocally and Petty arrogant poses and putdowns only egg them on.  A British-born friend told me the way he plays the villain is the authentic article.

A fine Prince Charming last year, Stratford actor Graham Abbey returns to play Robin Hood.  His exuberance and sense of fun make him perfect for the role.  Last year I was surprised by how well he sang.  This year his voice is even stronger and richer.  If he plans to add musical comedy to Shakespeare, he's ready.

In a break with tradition this year's "dame" is actually played by a woman, the Shaw Festival's Nora McLellan.  As Maid Marion's companion, Nurse Tickle, she instantly connects with the audience getting them to repeat her loony "Hellooooo" greeting right from the start.   She delivers her song "Call a Nurse" in true music hall style.

National Ballet star Rex Harrington plays the Forest Wizard very like the sorcerer Rothbart of "Swan Lake".  His poise and demeanour immediately command the stage.  His many fans will relish the change to see him speak and sing, the first very well, the second quite passably.  Stratford Actor Sara Topham is an excellent match for him.  With fine acting, lovely singing voice, sprightly presence and dancing ability, one wonders if there anything she can't do.

Amy Walsh is a charming Maid Marion and has a fine singing voice, while Steve Ross makes a humorous Friar Tuck.  The one disappointment, surprisingly, is the Shaw Festival's Simon Bradbury.  He makes the Sheriff's comic henchman Pinch too heavily Dickensian to suit the panto's frothy atmosphere.

Petty has previously used sets and costumes from unnamed British sources, but this year the sets are designed by Quebecois designer Jean-Claude Olivier.  They capture the authentic panto look of large-scale storybook illustrations.  The uncredited costumes are rather too generically medieval and need to be more exaggerated, especially in the case of Nurse Tickle.  Pantos do not require subtle lighting, but Steve Ross (not the actor) has the most freedom to create mood in the dark scenes in the forest and in the Sheriff's dungeon.

Ryan, my accompanying 11-year-old critic, said the show was "by far the best" of the three he's seen.   What he liked most were not so much the frequent sword and staff fights but the supernatural battles between the Good Fairy and the Forest Wizard where those on stage are buffeted by contrary magical forces.  Not only would he recommend it to his friends but he spontaneously asked his mother if he could see it again.  Given the enthusiastic response of adults and children alike, I'd say if you've never seen one of Ross Petty's pantos, now is the time to do it.

©Christopher Hoile

Note: This review is a Stage Door exclusive.

Photo: Rex Harrington, Sara Topham, Graham Abbey and Ross Petty. ©2002 Ross Petty Productions.