Dec. 17--Nothing says "holiday extravaganza" like Alfred Lord Tennyson. Alright -- lots of things say that with cheerier panache than the author of "The Charge of the Light Brigade." But one can certainly make a case that economic populism has a place in seasonal entertainment. Scrooge turns into the Great Redistributor by the end of "A Christmas Carol," after all, so the shenanigans of Robin Hood and his Merry Men also can fit the bill.
But "Robin Hood and Maid Marian," adapted by the Forks and Hope ensemble from Tennyson's 1892 verse play, "The Foresters," and directed by Matt Pierce, suffers from some tonal schizophrenia. Apparently, it's always been a bit of a divisive piece -- the first New York production won plaudits, but the English press was not as kind, even though the score was by none other than Arthur Sullivan.
Forks and Hope brings some homemade story-theater charm to this staging at Strawdog Theatre Company's Hugen Hall, with woodland birds and deer suggested by simple props and physical comedy. Austin Oie's original music fits the folksy bill, and the production plays around with gender a bit -- Little John (Suzanna Ziko) and Marian's father, Sir Richard Lea (Amber Robinson) are played by women, though the pronouns remain the same. Marian (Kelsey Shipley) and Robin (Caleb Probst) hew closely in appearance and mannerisms to their matinee-idol predecessors.
But at two hours, there feels like quite a bit of padding for what is essentially a straightforward and familiar tale. One can almost see them thinking, "Oh, we should drop a fight scene in here to spice things up" without regard as to whether or not it really advances the narrative. (Though fight director Sam Hubbard makes the up-close sword and quarterstaff battles fun to watch, for sure.)
Neither the adaptation nor Pierce's staging seem to know whether they want to treat the material with reverence -- some of the speeches feel pretty stodgy and declamatory a la 19th century prosody -- or to really reinvestigate its themes of dispossession as a sort of populist panto. (Robin and Marian aren't battling Andrew Bailes' scheming Prince John because they hate monarchy -- they just retain loyalty to King Richard.) The latter would be a great choice, especially since Strawdog itself is being evicted from its longtime home.
There are plenty of fun interludes here, to be sure -- but this show ends up feeling like an aimless ramble through Sherwood Forest, rather than a sassy riff on an old favorite.
REVIEW: "Robin Hood and Maid Marian"
2 STARS
Through Dec. 29, Strawdog Theatre Company, 3829 N. Broadway$15 at 866-811-4111 or strawdog.org
