Review: (Toronto) Robin Hood

Daniel James (photo credit:
Daniel Di Marco)

Not Civilized – English
This new Robin Hood is uneven, but entertaining

by Stuart Munro

@StuartMunroTO

The tone is set early on in Hart House’s new production of Robin Hood: The Legendary Musical Comedy when the Voice of God explains that crusaders have been off in the Holy Land committing acts of murder, rape, pillage, and other noble deeds. A chorus of singing peasants then explains that they live in “Poor, poor England. England is Poor. We live in England. That’s why we say poor, poor England . . . ,” lyrics that walk that fine line between too much exposition and comedy gold. The songs may often fall flat, but the comedy in this production, thankfully, always works.

Robin Hood is a sometimes inventive, but mostly straightforward retelling of its namesake’s other incarnations. Robin of Locksley returns from the crusades to discover that Prince John, in league with the local sheriff, is brutally taxing the poor. Robin recruits a band of Merry Men, displaces the prince, and wins the hand of the fair Maid Marian. There are some unexpected twists and turns along the way (which often involve humorous discussions about various appropriate subplots) but everything ends as it should.