AN EVENING FULL OF FESTIVE FUN! - ROBIN HOOD (PANTO) - YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD - REVIEW!

Last Night, I had the pleasure of attending the Press Night for the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford’s annual Christmas Pantomime! Panto season is here, and ‘Robin Hood’ at the Yvonne Arnaud was my first one of the season.

‘Robin Hood’ is a story less frequently done in panto (or at least where I have seen!) except for this year when both the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and the London Palladium will be taking us to sherwood forest! 

The set and costumes were, as always, dazzling and colourful. The production values were lovely - always giving the audience something to look at whether that was a glitzy dress, the eccentric costumes of ‘Nanny Fanny Annie’ or a massive dragon! This year's show even included a UV Scene which definitely got the giggles from the children and the adults alike. 

Guildford’s pantomime likes to keep up with their tradition of the ‘12 days of christmas’ and the famous “FIVE CUSTARD PIES!” and this year is no exception. I think it gets funnier and funnier every single year. The book was great, it included so many topical references and the comedy was spot on. There was absolutely something for everyone in the humour of the show which is exactly what you need whilst you’re watching a pantomime.

The casting was amazing..

Lucy Benjamin returns to the stage returning as the Villainess ‘The Sheriff of Nottingham’ - Benjamin is the perfect panto villain, she has mastered the art!! From the moment she had stepped out onstage in her glittering outfit, she commanded the stage and held the audience within the palm of her hand!

Nanny Fanny Annie - this year’s dame, was played by the returning Peter Gordon, dressed in lavish costumes, Gordon didn’t fail to bring the fun with this character, there were some great one liners and a super funny section all about the Nanny’s baps… i’ll leave that with you!

Our “Silly Billy” character this year was named ‘Much’ and was played by Matt Pinches - Pinches brought so many laughs to the stage and the children in particular were rolling in the aisles laughing. Pinches has ounces of energy and never seems to dip once in the performance which is rather impressive!

Robin Hood himself was played by Ricky Oakley. Oakley has incredibly impressive vocal talent, performed with control and ease whilst singing numbers such as ‘From Now On’ from the Greatest Showman! His character was well thought out and fun to watch.

Safia Bartley is Marian. Bartley’s wonderful vocal talent is what makes her a standout, her acting performance was nice and perfect for panto, a brilliant character all-round.

Rounding up the gang is Jacob Kohli as ‘Lil John’ another comedy role, but also with some amazing vocal moments, Kohli brought a nice dynamic to the stage, having great onstage chemistry with Oakley as Robin Hood.

It would be rude not to mention the ensemble who danced their socks off all evening, a fabulous bunch of performers who have bright futures ahead of them!

I believe that Act 2 was stronger than act 1, but this doesn’t mean that act 1 was not enjoyable - I just felt like the sections that everybody knows and loves ended up in the latter half of the show, and it felt almost a little bit too lengthy. I still really enjoyed this panto as there was so many opportunities for a laugh, and the cast brought so much to the performance.

Overall, if you’re looking for an evening of Festive Family Fun, then why not choose ‘Robin Hood’ at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. It is full of jokes, musical numbers and colour… ready to spread christmas cheer! 

I feel extremely christmassy after watching the show! And I can’t wait for next years..

‘Robin Hood’ runs at the Yvonne Arnaud right over the festive period until 4th January and you can get yourself some tickets from here!

Thanks for reading my thoughts! Let me know what you thought about this years pantomime at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford!

4th December 2024

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants