A dashing hero, naughty
nuns, romance is in the air and good appears to winning over
evil - as for whether it all ends happily ever after, we'll
have to wait and see.
One of the most famous of all British folklore
stories, The Adventures of Robin Hood is the summer production
for the Youth Theatre Company at Norwich's Theatre Royal.
The production, performed by members of the
Company, is cast from the 500-plus students taking part each
year in the Theatre Royal's Arts Courses at The Garage.
David Lambert is the arts course director
and admits, there's still work to be done before the opening
night - just a week away.
"At this point there are still some
lines to be learnt and some kicking of the backsides to happen,
but it'll come together," he said.
"We've just choreographed a couple of
fights, which is something very new for the students to learn.
"Of course, the moment they get a sword
in their hand they want to play with it all the time - which
is a good thing as it means they're rehearsing it, lots,"
he added.
This adventure tells the story of Robin Hood,
his fight with the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham and romance
with Maid Marion - played by Jenni Woodward.
"Maid Marion is feisty. She's not just
a damsel in distress.
"She does run about a lot and Robin
does save her, but I've tried to put my own spark to her,"
said Jenni.
"I've managed to get a sword fight of
my own in one of the fight scenes.
"Marion wears the trousers, she knows
where she's going in her relationship and she's the only one
in the play that gets one over Robin.
"It's good fun playing Marion, especially
with Harry, as we're also a real-life couple. That helps a
lot on stage when we're rehearsing.
"The love scenes on stage are not so
bad as we've got somewhere to draw it from, a bit of method
acting. [laughs]
"Everyone takes the mick in saying that
he's [Harry] under the thumb. When it comes to Robin and Marion,
Marion definitely has the upper hand," she added.
It appears however that Jenni and Harry are
reading a different script.
"I think Robin and Marion have a very
equal relationship," said Harry Burt who plays Robin.
"It's a nice part to do as Marion, Jenni,
is my girlfriend in real life too.
"In some ways the Robin and Marion,
Harry and Jenny relationships do feed each other. I think
it'll be more real on stage because of this.
"It's my first
time on the Theatre Royal stage. It's quite daunting, but
I'm quite looking forward too it," he said.
"The nerves haven't set in yet, but
I'm sure they will as the production gets nearer.
"The fight scenes have been fun, a new
experience. There's two scenes, one with the Sheriff which
is a sword fight and the other is with Little John on a bridge
with quarter-staffs. It's good fun.
"It took about an hour to learn the
sword sequence, but now it needs a lot of rehearsal,"
he added.
The Adventures Of Robin Hood, a musical romp
through English legend, runs at the Norwich Theatre Royal
from Wednesday 28 until Saturday 31 July, 2004.
For tickets call the Theatre Royal box office on 01603
630000. If
you want to get involved with the arts courses call 01603
598600.
Robin
Hood review
Archive:
Robinson Crusoe
Archive:
Oklahoma
Archive:
Limelight in Gorleston
Archive: Matthew
Bourne masterclass
If this feature has sparked your interest
in performance art, you've loads of choice in Norfolk. Check
out these websites.
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History: Robin Hood
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