Merry men and women are to take to the pantomime stage this winter for an epic tale with action, comedy thrills and romance. Feared by the bad, and loved by the good… the magic continues with Robin Hood! We joined the cast for the launch and a chat.
Words | Kim Craig
Esher Theatre will raise the curtain in December on a new adventure! Travel with Robin Hood and his band of merry men through the wilderness of Sherwood Forest, on their quest to defeat the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and restore peace to the land.
This year’s production stars Bobby Davro as Will Scarlet. A veteran of stage and screen as a comedian, impressionist, actor and presenter, he will bring his experience of nearly 50 pantomimes to Esher Theatre, along with that of performing in front of all kinds of audiences. “I’m at the Edinburgh Fringe later this year, for two and half weeks. If I can survive that..,” he says with a smile.
His first professional panto was at the Dartford Theatre, in Jack and the Beanstalk, and one that he’s performed in since, a couple of years ago. “I didn’t feel like any time had passed at all, until I looked in the mirror! This will be my 48th panto, and I don’t know how I’ve managed that because I’m only 50,” he jokes.
Bobby relishes the challenge that comes with a panto performance. “It’s something different, where you have to learn your craft. A different skill, and a different way of presenting jokes. You can cross over the ‘fourth wall’ and that should always be a comic’s prerogative. What I love about it is that I can entertain children, the teenagers, mums and dads – the whole family.”
Like any good comedian, Bobby has his greatest hits of jokes ready to go, and tested a few on us. We can’t give anything away, but have you heard the one about the donkey with one leg…?
Another of the ‘merry men’ is Peter Straker, who brings his vast performing experience to the cast of Robin Hood, as King Richard. Since his performance last year as King Rat, Peter has been recovering from a hip replacement. Peter first became known for his performance in the original 1968 stage production of Hair, in London and has countless West End productions on his CV.
Rehearsals start in November, and the performance schedule will mean the actors are working right up to New Year’s Eve, but Peter is busy in the run up also. “I’ve been recording. I’m hoping to do an EP and put it out on vinyl. People tell me it’s popular now, so that’s the plan!”
Making her Esher Theatre debut is Channel 5’s Milkshake! host, Kiera-Nicole Brennan. She will play Fairy Faraway, a part written for this panto by Eric Potts, writer of previous Esher Theatre festive productions and regarded as one of the UK’s top pantomime scriptwriters. Keira-Nicole isn’t new to panto either, having already performed in a handful in her young career, inspired to take part in performances by her Channel 5 colleagues.
As it’s only July when we talk, the actors don’t yet know the script, or whether they will be singing, dancing, or both, but it’s dancing that she feels is her strength. “I hope I’ll be doing both. Before I got into presenting, I was a dancer and actor.” Kiera-Nicole is a graduate of the Brit School, and her involvement in children’s theatre and radio during that time got her noticed and called for the Milkshake! auditions. She recalls, “I had great mentors there, they really helped us, pushed us, and had the best connections aswell. Close to the end of my time there I had decided to go more into media, and then I got the call. I was so lucky!”
So why not grab a band of merry friends and gallop along to Esher for some festive fun that we know you will enjoy!
Robin Hood will run from 5th to 31st Dec 2024
Book tickets now at www.eshertheatre.com
Follow on Instagram @eshertheatre
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