There’s something funny about this ‘Hood’
Cheesy jokes, cross-dressing and a classic rescue tale with a twist all come together — not unlike the cake “baked” live on stage — and hit the mark like an arrow pulled from the main character’s quiver in Medicine Hat Musical Theatre’s “Robin Hood.”
If this sounds nothing like the “Robin Hood” story you know, that’s because it’s the local group’s annual pantomime offering. A pantomime takes a familiar story and through local references, scenes and jokes that are a little out there and, of course, a dame, gives it a brand new spin.
The local references come in the form of jokes about city politics — transit and election results take a hit — while scenes involving two guys who should never rap doing just that and any number of the ‘dad’ jokes told by the narrator (played by Paul Parks) provide the more groaninducing moments.
All characters are played perfectly over-thetop, just as they should be. Robin Hood (Mario Mudri), The Sheriff of Nottingham (Tony Carlsson), Nurse Nora (Darin McKay) and Little John (Isaac Risling) all stand out in their own ways, and that’s really just scratching the surface of the performances seen at the media night on Wednesday.
An unexpectedly broken chair proved the professionalism and quickthinking of the on-stage and backstage crew. The break was quickly mentioned with an improvised joke, just as quickly dealt with via replacement chair and then came another improvised joke.
As with any pantomime the audience plays a big part. Performers often break the fourth wall to speak with the audience and the audience in turn has its part to play. Just how much you enjoy the show may depend on how involved the audience you’re with is, so if you sense early that your fellow audience members are on the quiet side it may be up to you to step up.
Almost half the shows are sold out but tickets are still available for the Dec. 1-2, 9 and 14-15 shows and are available by calling 403-5023477 and at www.mhmtheatre.com. More information is available on the website.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children plus GST.