With an emphasis on action and adventure, which never go out of style, Seattle Children’s Theatre recently unveiled their new production of the medieval tale of Robin Hood. The mythic English folk hero, who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, has been given new life in a high-energy production that pits good versus evil while evoking laughter and cheers from the audience.
(L-R) Hans Altwies and Basil Harris in "Robin Hood." Photo by Chris Bennion.
Under the direction of Allison Narver, the play moves at a lightning-fast clip, buffeting the audience from sword fight to archery tournament to tender love scene with speedy grace. As Robin Hood, Hans Altwies does more than just shoot a few arrows. He climbs trees, swings from ropes and tumbles around the stage with astonishing agility.
Altwies and co-star David Quicksall — who plays several key characters, including Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlett and Prince John — are both veterans of the death-defying, rope-climbing free-for-all that was Seattle Children’s Theatre’s 2010 production of In The Northern Lands. Joining Altwies and Quicksall are Hana Lass (Maid Marian and Much the Miller’s Son) and Basil Harris (the hilarious Sheriff of Nottingham and the humorless King Richard).
The actors seamlessly don and doff roles, constantly changing costumes (cleverly designed for rapid removal by Catherine Hunt) and personas — even accents. Set Designer Jennifer Lupton’s take on Sherwood Forest is dark and brooding, with plenty of branches to swing from and shady corners to leap out of.
The production is hurt by Greg Banks’ bizarrely structured script, however. The text jumps erratically (and needlessly) from stage action to first person narration to third person narration — all carried out by the same actor in the space of a single paragraph of dialogue. Banks can’t seem to decide if his play is a straight-up adventure piece, a morality play about poverty and injustice, or a British pantomime complete with action-killing exhortations from the actors, urging the audience to shout things at the villains as they commit their villainy. Given the agility and high-caliber acting of the cast, Seattle Children’s Theatre would have been well advised to go with a simpler Robin Hood script.
Though the play is recommended for kids age 8 and up, the younger members of the audience were able to appreciate most of the swordplay and silliness.
Robin Hood runs through Nov. 27. For more information, visit www.sct.org.
