Many congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this year’s pantomime – Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood by Alan Frayne – to the stage and making it another outstanding success! From our highly experienced Directors and crew, to the new and exciting cast, and to the amazing support teams at the front of the house and backstage, a huge “Well done!” for all your hard work and dedication. As always, every available seat over the seven performances was sold out, reflecting the undying popularity of this legendary annual village event.
We are most grateful for the excellent reviews submitted by Anne-Marie Adams (who, if you don’t know her, also runs the amazing Wargrave Theatre bar!) and by Cate Naylor from NODA, whom we are always very pleased to welcome into our auditorium.
Once you have scrolled through the reviews, you will find a selection of the many superb photographs supplied by David Williams, taken during the final dress rehearsal so as not to distract audiences.
Review by Anne-Marie Adams of Wargrave Theatre’s Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood, January 2026
“The Goose Fair came to our village thanks to the entwinement of Robin Hood and The Babes in the Wood for the Wargrave Theatre Pantomime, written by Alan Frayn and directed by Linda Daman and Emmajane Hughes.
Although not one of the classic pantomimes, it had all the traditional elements – Oh No It Didn’t! Andy Simmons, a virgin dame, was quick to engage the audience who responded enthusiastically and loudly,
“Not on your Nellie Nellie”, whenever they were invited to sniff her wellie boot.
Those seated in the auditorium were surrounded by the action thanks to creative use of the space, most dramatically when Robin Hood, played by Rachel Wood, landed a bullseye from the balcony. Sadly, he was then denied the golden arrow prize by the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham, the character the audience love to hate reflected by eager booing and hissing, and carried so well by Conor Black. Fun was had with arrows landing in some interesting places when shot by the bumbling yet lovable Little John played by Ian Bacon as he was distracted by Sir Guy of Gisbourne, Alex Schatunowski, in his failing attempts to pursue Maid Marian.
The Merry Men were an interesting collection of characters. Graham Howe as Friar Tuck was totally convincing as a tipsy monk who enjoyed the fruits of his brewery a little more than he should. Liz Wyld enthralled us with her Irish dancing as Alana Dale the minstrel who delivered all his lines in song. Much confusion was caused by Much the Miller, played by Andy Luckwell, as much of the dialogue played upon his name. Aiden Black as Will Scarlet was a mincing Merry Man in his standout red costume.
Each act was introduced by a poncing pink poet played energetically by Clive Dow.
A glitter ball on the head of Nurse Nellie Nickerlastic helped create a joyous surrounding for the love scene between Robin and Maid Marian played by Anna James.
Emmajane Hughes and Sara Beasley again joined forces as the bungling henchmen of the Sheriff, Snivel and Grovel. True to their names, Grovel’s obsequiousness and Snivel’s ability to produce nasal slime were remarkable.
Tanya Jessop and Sophie Errington teamed up to play the Babes and encapsulated the mannerisms of 12-year-olds with panache.
Lloyd Schrivener was magnanimous as King Richard, he then joined the rest of the chorus of Jocelyn Evans, Ellis Evans, Cath Evans, Sanne Fidler, Sophie Hucker, Alex Limia, Ann Pearce and Liz Tawse to get us all foot tapping, swinging and singing along. The children of the Wargrave Youth Theatre contributed too, giving us great hope for the future of the adult company, most notably with their militant protest of ‘We don’t need no education’ as they stomped their way down the central aisle.
The cast were excellent and gave a coherent, fun and hilarious performance that the audience clearly enjoyed and responded to robustly. There were admirably supported by a crew of backstage and front of house volunteers – there truly is a role for everyone – come along and find yours.
Most outstanding of all was the bar run efficiently and effectively by some old hag of the village.” [sic]
Review of Wargrave Theatre’s Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood by Cate Naylor NODA London District 13 Representative, January 2026
“Thank you for inviting me to your annual pantomime and for the warm welcome I received from Ann and Len. Your show was a traditional pantomime which combined two tales into one, merging the folk tale of the outlaw Robin Hood with the cautionary fairy tale of Babes in the Wood. It finds the Sheriff of Nottingham trying to get rid of the king’s nephew and niece Sam and Ella so that he can inherit their fortune. Luckily for Sam and Ella, Robin Hood and Maid Marian are on hand to rescue them. Including a hero, a villain, a dame and a couple of comedy duos, this pantomime written by Alan Frayn had everything you need for a good show
Cast
Rachael Wood (Robin Hood) Rachael gave a strong and natural performance as Robin Hood and looked totally at ease in the role. She moved with good stage presence adopting a typical principal boy stance with the odd thigh slap thrown in. She led the song ‘Men in Tights’ with confidence and looked to be really enjoying herself, especially in the can-can dance with her merry men. She had good chemistry and interaction with Maid Marian (Anna) and sang expressively.
Merry Men
Every Robin Hood needs a band of merry men, and this band certainly fitted the bill. Ian Bacon is a natural comedian and was a joy to watch as Little John. He combined both physical humour with perfectly timing to the delivery of his corny jokes and puns. He took the bashes on the bottom with Nurse Nelly’s cricket bat and his falls from the bench with great humour but maybe could have done with a cushion in his breeches?!?
Andy Luckwell portrayed Much the Miller as a country bumpkin with a west country accent which worked for the role. It’s not easy adopting and holding a thick accent but working more on maintaining clarity of speech as well as the accent would have meant that his lines would have been clearer.
Aidan Black certainly looked the part clad all in scarlet. The character of Will is often described as being a ‘bit of a dandy’ and Aidan captured this element of his character well. He spoke with a gentle voice, but projecting more would improve the clarity of his line delivery.
Graham Howe looked suitably rotund as Friar Tuck. He clearly liked his mead and played a good drunk without being over the top. He delivered his lines with clarity and good volume, even when rather ‘merry with mead’.
Liz Wyld (Alana Dale) This must have been a hard part to play as Liz had to sing all her lines, which did at times get a little lost in the noise around her. She sang with a clear and resonant voice and danced many a jig with lightness of foot.
Conor Black (Sheriff of Nottingham) This is a slightly different pantomime baddie to your average one as although he is clearly evil, the character should be played relatively straight rather than over the top. Conor got the characterisation just right and was totally believable as the villain, garnering boos whenever he entered. He contrasted this beautifully with his comical child-like reaction to his former nurse when she called him Tarquin. He delivered his lines clearly and spoke with authority and menace. He also must be congratulated on mastering the long tongue-twisting speech where every word began with ‘D’ and he earned some very well-deserved applause when he repeated it much faster managing all the hand gestures at the same time. Conor sang great character in the style of Elvis much the amusement of the audience.
Emmajane Hughes (Snivel) and Sara Beasley (Grovel) These two were tremendous as the Sheriff’s henchmen and worked their socks off every time they came onto the stage. They were both naturally funny with brilliant comic timing, superb physicality; often moving in perfect synchronicity and delivering excellent slapstick. The Dynamite scene with the line ‘when I nod my head, you hit it’ had the audience in stitches as did their ghost scene. It is easy in roles like these to end up being overly silly and over the top, but Emmajane and Sara got the balance absolutely right. Both had extremely funny and vivid facial expressions and Snivels string of snot and Grovel’s reaction to it were priceless. Definitely a comedy duo to be reckoned with!
Anna James (Maid Marian) Anna looked every bit the medieval heroine of the piece. She was self assured and poised and combined these traits with a good dose of feistiness and determination. Although not on stage for a lot of the time, she interacted well with the other characters and had lovely chemistry with Robin Hood. She delivered her lines with feeling and projected her spoken lines very well. She sang sweetly but was rather quiet. This may have been due to her positioning at the top of the tower and away from the audience.
Andy Simmons (Nurse Nellie Nickerlastic) Although not on stage for a lot of the time, Andy put everything into this role when he was. He was larger than life, but not over the top and he rocked his frocks and wigs. He interacted well with the members of his school room and looked to enjoy wielding his cricket bat, and he was suitably domineering when dealing with and belittling ‘Tarquin’ the Sheriff of Nottingham. The action in the schoolroom was full of comedy and physical antics and Andy’s rendition of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side’ was well delivered. It was hilariously funny with a backing group of horror characters including Pennywise the clown and the twins from The Shining as well as…. Nigel Farage!!
Sophie Errington (Sam) and Tanya Jessop (Ella) These two were lovely as the King’s nephew and niece and they had a wide range of brilliant facial expressions. It’s not easy as an adult to play a young child and there is a risk that your portrayal becomes silly and overexaggerated, but Sophie and Tanya played these roles with just the right amount of characterisation to make them funny. They were full of charm and mischief and their timing in the scene with the school bench was perfect. Tanya reminded me somewhat of Queenie from Black Adder and the characterisation and voice worked well. Sophie perfectly portrayed the annoying brother who pulls your pigtails and sticks out his tongue at you. Together, they sang ‘A woman’s Touch’ led by Tanya very well and in character with some well-rehearsed servants cleaning and making beds in the background.
Lloyd Scrivener (King Richard) Alex Schatunowski (Sir Guy of Gisbourne) Page 4 These were two cameo roles which Lloyd and Alex threw themselves into. Lloyd was suitably regal as King Richard and covered the muddling up of his lines with great humour and style. Alex as Sir Guy, had some lovely facial expressions when he lost the archery competition against Robin Hood.
Clive Dow (The Poet) We were welcomed to both act one and two by Clive playing a flamboyant and rather camp poet. He pranced around the stage speaking in rhyme and setting the scene for what was to follow. At one point he fluffed his lines but did it with great humour.
Jocelyn Evans, Ellis Evans, Cath Evans, Sanne Fidler, Sophie Hucker, Alex Limia, Anne Pearce, & Liz Tawse (Chorus) A pantomime is not a pantomime without a chorus of singers and dancers to support the principals and in this production, all the chorus members were animated on stage and in character in their scenes. Together with some of the actors with minor roles, they sang their numbers with good volume and expression and some lovely harmonies. They were in great voice in the opening number ‘All Around My Hat’ but it was a shame that we couldn’t hear the two soloists who sang the verses as the tracks were rather loud music. ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ was also a strong number.
Lydia Calverley, Freya Hall, Maggie Handcock & Hector Hughes (Nellie’s Pupils) I always enjoy the inclusion of some of your youth group in your pantomimes and these four youngsters gave good performances as Nellie’s school pupils entering into the fun and frivolity of the production well. They sang with confidence in their two numbers; ‘When I Grow Up’ from Matilda and ‘We Don’t Need No Education’ a great Pink Floyd song and very appropriate for the scene.
Creatives Linda Daman & Emmajane Hughes (Directors) Back again after their success last year, Linda and Emmajane combined to bring another enjoyable pantomime to the Wargrave stage. This one was different in that the dame was a smaller part, and the baddie was more stern than funnily evil, but it worked. The show had been well cast and in the most part, the line delivery was clear and projected well. Working a little more on projection for those cast members with naturally quieter voices and clarity of line delivery when using an accent would improve the vocal performances even more. The directors and cast made the most of the corny jokes and physical humour, mostly at the expense of Little John and there was much hilarity. There wasn’t a messy scene in this pantomime, but the directors had added a funny skit with clothes seeming to fly into magically opening drawers. Emmajane was a very busy woman as she also played Snivel half of the comedy duo with great physicality and excellent comic timing!
Peter Hughes (Musical Director) Under the musical direction of Peter, the cast gave confident and expressive vocal performances, but sadly, due to the loudness of the tracks, we lost some of the vocals in the louder numbers, However, when the music was quieter and more lyrical, this was not an issue. Peter cued the music through his laptop, and the cast hit their entrances perfectly.
Rachael Wood (Choreographer) The choreography had been well designed and there were a range of different styles. The dance steps and arm movements were repeated patterns, and the cast mastered them with energy and enthusiasm. Of note was the dance to ‘Men in Tights’ which was very funny as you might expect for a dance performed by the men in tights and included a very impressive and hilarious version of the can can.
Dave Robinson (Stage Management) with Matthew Gordon, Mark Cox, Henry Marchant & Team (Backstage Crew) & Chez Annetts, Jo Hall, Lesley Hucker, Sophie Martin & Sarah Yool (Chaperones) In the most part, the backstage crew worked quickly and quietly managing the scene changes, although there were a couple of scene changes which felt a bit lengthy. Set pieces were moved efficiently on and off the set and the various flying objects were cleverly managed. I particularly liked the movement of the knight at the top of the tower and the slickly managed clothes flying into opening drawers, all managed with fishing wire, I think. The dynamite explosion and blowing the doors off the safe was very cleverly managed and very effective. With the assistance of the chaperones, the stage manager also kept the wings and clear so that entrances and exits from the stage were smooth and the youngsters were always kept safe.
Sheila Williams (Set Advisor), Dave Robinson, Mark Cox, Alan Fear, Ben Forsaith, Matthew Gordon, Jake Wheal & Johnny Wyld (Set Construction) and Sheila Brockelbank, Sanne Fidler, Shelagh Casebourne, Sheridan Lewis, Ian Mills, Mia Rosten, Jo Simmons, Finlay Skinner & Gemma Soley (Set Painting) The set had been imaginatively designed with back drops and set pieces to depict a beamed mansion house, the forest, castle, Nellie’s boudoir and the school room. The full height tower front stage left where Maid Marian was imprisoned was very impressive and the fold out tree stage right a clever touch. There were lots of lovely little touches with birds in flight, a ‘marching’ knight and an interactive chest of drawers. The bench with too few legs led to much hilarity at the expense of Little John as it tipped, and the campfire was very effective. The dynamite and safe were also very well constructed. The set painting was of high quality and enhanced the set beautifully.
Simon Calverley (Lighting) The stage was well lit with all areas covered. The changes in light from bright to subdued added to the atmosphere and the different locations. The green wash for Robin Hood was a nice touch.
Alan Fear (Sound) The sound effects were very well cued and the timing of the ‘boing’ every time that Grovel was hit over the head with a mallet was perfect every time. The sound of the safe explosion was impressive and made me jump even though I was expecting it. The musical tracks, however, seemed to me to be very loud which made it difficult to hear the singers over them. Some better balancing of the music or using microphones to amplify the singers would have improved this.
Linda Daman, Emmajane Hughes, Kate Calverley, Judi Rowlands, Kate Robinson, Patricia Vella, Ann Marie Adams & Claire Vertigan (Wardrobe) with Matilda Ogilvy (Wigs & Makeup) The costumes which were in the main of the medieval period were well thought out. There were lots of colourful costumes, and some wonderful tights for the men. The poets’ tights were very fine with plenty of sheen! Robin Hood definitely looked the part in her suede shorts and jerkin with a green shirt, hat and tights. The dame had an array of very big dresses complete with hoops and frills. They were flamboyant and spectacular as were her wigs and makeup. The Sheriff of Nottingham looked the Page 7 part, and King Richard was suitably dressed befitting a medieval king of the realm. The babes were dressed as befitted their young age and Snivel and Grovel looked brilliant in their matching outfits.
Harriet Wigmore-Welsh & Daniel Melville (Properties) The props were plentiful and well used. Of note were the waddling geese for the goose race and the very cleverly designed archery target with a suddenly appearing arrow. I also liked Little John’s ‘pitcher’ of wine and the very many different arrows piercing different parts of the chorus’ anatomy. I’m not sure whether Snivels stretchy snot was props or costume, but it deserves a mention for its disgusting factor!
I was delighted to be invited to your annual pantomime again and enjoyed all the fun on stage. I’ve not seen this pantomime before, and I enjoyed seeing something new and different. It had some laugh out loud corny jokes and lots to boos at as well as the usual interaction between the dame and the audience and a brilliant comedy duo. All in all, an enjoyable show enjoyed by audience and cast alike. “
A selection of David Williams’ photographs taken during the final dress rehearsal:
