The Legend of Robin Hood

The Legend of Robin Hood
PACE Center
Parker, CO
August 7 - 22, 2015

The iconic story of Robin Hood, surprisingly, does not have a definitive telling. Each version focuses on a few of the vast collection of tales associated with the characters, so when seeing a new versions you never know what you will be getting.

The script itself seems to have a struggle with identity. At times it's a screwball comedy, not taking itself seriously. At other times it wants to be a realistic version of the story. The transitions are clunky.

My biggest disappointment was that at the start of the story songs are already being sung to Robin Hood and his Merry Men are already assembled. The only piece not in place is Maid Marian - and even that is cloudy. The script is unclear if Marina is a woman Robin has dreamed of or if they had a prior relationship.

The script borrows heavily from the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and it relies on the audience to have a basic knowledge of the story. The production attempts to focus on the "legend" and not the man. The opening song and last 15 minutes of Act 2 frame this theme. However, the rest of the show doesn't carry it through, which is disappointing. It would set this telling apart from the many others.

The program we received did not contain a list of scenes or songs. In an unfamiliar show this is a real drawback. Due to this, I won't be able to reference any songs by name. The songs are for the most part not memorable and the lack of title makes them even less so. The songs sung at the finale of each act were nicely done - rich with harmonies and meaning. But the songs around them did little to advance the story.

The sets were well thought out, if a bit simple. While some scene changes were lengthy, the transformations were effective. The costumes were a high point. I appreciated that Maid Marian changed clothes often - as a noble woman would have.

The strongest performance was given by the Sheriff of Nottingham. His combination of greed and madness set up the "legend" theme. Without a believable obsession with Robin Hood, the finale would have fallen flat.

Robin Hood was a bit bland. Had the "legend" theme been stronger, that portrayal might have worked. Instead he came off as dull. Marina was a bit more fleshed out, but she is way too strong a fighter to believe she is noble.

The Merry Men were a good combination of camp and realism. They were all well cast and their performances were strong. However, it did seem strange that there were only four of them.

It's unlikely this will become the version of the Robin Hood people remember, but there are some special elements this company added to the vast array of tales.