A reimagined classic that hits the bullseye

By Jeff McGilton Posted on August 29, 2021
Poster for Robin Hood. Alt text: The cartoon poster features a stage in the woods framed with brown wood and decorated with yellow, red and blue bunting. Two lawn chairs face the stage, separated by a small stream that flows down the middle of the poster. A bearded character with a guitar sits in front of the stage to the right, while to the left, two targets hang, both with multiple arrows stuck in the bullseye. ‘ROBIN HOOD’ is written in white at the bottom with red shadowing.
Poster for Robin Hood. Alt text: The cartoon poster features a stage in the woods framed with brown wood and decorated with yellow, red and blue bunting. Two lawn chairs face the stage, separated by a small stream that flows down the middle of the poster. A bearded character with a guitar sits in front of the stage to the right, while to the left, two targets hang, both with multiple arrows stuck in the bullseye. ‘ROBIN HOOD’ is written in white at the bottom with red shadowing.
Hear ye, hear ye!

Calling all medieval tale lovers and outdoor theatre enthusiasts, does The Kick and Push Festival ever have a show for you! Deep in the thick forests of City Park, the Lakeside Players (creators of last year’s Cyrano de Bergerac) present another lively tale, or rather a small collection of them, in their fanciful production of Robin Hood.

Image taken from @thelakesideplayers Instagram page. Originally captioned: “Friar Tuck saves Robin from the Vampire Squids.” Andrew Cameron playing Robin Hood on the left, Kareem Vaude as Friar Tuck on the right. Costume design by Rachel Forbes. Alt text: Vaude holds Cameron in a strong grip, their gaze intense. Friar wears a long brown robe with a rope tied as a belt, while Robin wears a brown vest over a green shirt and black shorts, with a green hat and guitar on his back. The background is the brick-walled Tett Centre with a brick curtain backdrop in front of it.
Image taken from @thelakesideplayers Instagram page. Originally captioned: “Friar Tuck saves Robin from the Vampire Squids.” Andrew Cameron playing Robin Hood on the left, Kareem Vaude as Friar Tuck on the right. Costume design by Rachel Forbes. Alt text: Vaude holds Cameron in a strong grip, their gaze intense. Friar wears a long brown robe with a rope tied as a belt, while Robin wears a brown vest over a green shirt and black shorts, with a green hat and guitar on his back. The background is the brick-walled Tett Centre with a brick curtain backdrop in front of it.

Developed by Jake Rennie and Andrew Cameron (who, in addition, served as director and title character, respectively), the piece dutifully weaves multiple stories of the classic Robin Hood heroes together, creating both backstory and stakes for the greater narrative.

Being invited to the dress rehearsal to view the performance, I brought along my cousin (a long-time fan of Robin Hood lore and good theatrical companion). After a warm welcome from Rennie and some other members of the team, we set our blanket amidst the late summer winds and watched. By the end of the performance, we had laughed, clapped and arrived at the same conclusion: this cast had a lot to offer.

For my musically inclined cousin, a high point of notability was the piece’s inclusion and execution of songs. With music composed and directed by Toronto-based Landon Doak, there was no shortage of toe-tapping tunes, filled with all the merriment that one would hope for in The Land of Fancy. Talking to Rennie after the show, we learned that the lyrics, along with the majority of the script, were based off original Robin Hood poetry and prose.

But while one might expect these ballads to be sung in a boisterous or bawdy way that you would find in a bar (which a large part of the piece did take place in), the cast exhibited its vocal prowess with strong melodies and tight harmonies. What was equally as impressive was the fact that despite being outside and without mics, we were able to hear these harmonies and subsequent dialogue very clearly.

With more than a few members of the team having attended George Brown School of Media & Performing Arts (Rennie himself being a teacher), it was clear that Vocal Music and Speech were classes not left unattended.

Where the musicality of Robin Hood caught my cousin’s affection, I was more drawn to the piece’s physicality. As the piece’s director doubles as a stage fight/flight specialist (with credits including the Dora Award-winning Peter Pan from Bad Hats Theatre), an attention to the movement onstage was apparent. Whether it was the cast taking on various roles in the retelling of a tall tale or Cameron shifting between Robin Hood and the villainous Sheriff, the bodies onstage were adept at adjusting accordingly.

And, of course, what would a performance of Robin Hood be without sharpshooting a few bullseyes? The team did a hilarious job of handling the bow and arrow content necessary to the story, and (spoiler alert) without the risk of anyone being impaled. At one point even using performer Courtney Day as an arrow, the team achieved a level of camp that demands a chuckle.

Image taken from @thelakesideplayers Instagram page. Originally captioned: “The Blue Boar Inn, the favourite drinking establishment of Robin and his Merry Band!” From bottom left to top right: Autumn Davis, Kevin Forster and Courtney Day play patrons at The Blue Boar Inn, while Kareem Vaude and Andrew Cameron play Friar Tuck and Robin Hood, respectively. Costume design by Rachel Forbes. Alt text: The photo features five performers all facing inward. The background is a brick curtain backdrop in front of a real brick wall, with a black studio floor. The cast wears clothing reminiscent of medieval times, including robes, hats, vests, aprons and sneakers. They are all masked.
Image taken from @thelakesideplayers Instagram page. Originally captioned: “The Blue Boar Inn, the favourite drinking establishment of Robin and his Merry Band!” From bottom left to top right: Autumn Davis, Kevin Forster and Courtney Day play patrons at The Blue Boar Inn, while Kareem Vaude and Andrew Cameron play Friar Tuck and Robin Hood, respectively. Costume design by Rachel Forbes. Alt text: The photo features five performers all facing inward. The background is a brick curtain backdrop in front of a real brick wall, with a black studio floor. The cast wears clothing reminiscent of medieval times, including robes, hats, vests, aprons and sneakers. They are all masked.

While the performance and direction of Robin Hood immersed my cousin and I into The Land of Fancy, there were some minor things that also held me back. Though the team states online their goals of contemporizing characters whilst keeping them true to their inherent themes, I wonder if this choice became distracting in terms of costuming.

By having characters don pieces that were part ‘old-timey’ and part contemporary (leather vest and a ball cap, green riding hood and tennis shoes) at times I was taken out of the moment. Had the design gone completely one way or another, what meanings would have been suggested? Perhaps a completely contemporarily costumed cast would hammer home the still-relevant notions of stealing from the rich to give to the poor? Or flipped, the donning of full tunics and tights to emphasize the more modern amendments to the script?

However, what may have pinched me certainly did not affect my cousin, nor did it hinder my overall enjoyment of the piece. As we thanked our hosts and went off into the misty twilight, it was with a light step and cheeks soft from smiling.

Robin Hood is no longer available to watch at the Kick and Push Festival, but click here to check out more from The Lakeside Players.