Writer: Harry Michaels
Director: Ed Curtis
There may be no pantomime dame at Wimbledon this year, but it almost doesn’t matter when trusty Pete Firman is on stage. He carries this fairly quick rendition of Robin Hood and has a huge rapport with Ashley Banjo and Diversity, who provide backflips and somersaults throughout. This could be the shortest pantomime at Wimbledon for years, but it’s certainly the funniest.
Firman is Will Scarlet, a villager of Nottingham, who dearly wants to be part of Banjo’s Merrymen, and so unexpectedly but delightfully, he must prove his dancing skills to the Diversity crew. To be honest, his moves aren’t that bad, and after a dance-off with Perri Kiely (now all grown up since the days when the rest of Diversity used to throw him in the air), he’s awarded the tunic that the other Merrymen wear.
Ashley Banjo is a fine Robin Hood, and his brother Jordan is strong as his second man. It’s not Diversity’s first rodeo in pantomime, and yet their performances – acting and engaging the crowd – feel fresh and natural. The brothers’ corpsing may be scripted, but their ‘accidental’ mistakes and involuntary laughter make for good-hearted seasonal entertainment. And the banter between them is surprisingly naughty.
The story of Robin Hood is as thin as could be, nothing more than a frame in which to place the dance routines and comic skits. The best of the latter is the If I Were Not In Pantomime routine, which here is full of danger and necessarily choreographed with the utmost care. But the show’s short running time – the first half is barely 45 minutes – means that there is no room for more call-and-response participation from the audience. “He’s behind you” hardly gets a look in. And there are no jokes about South London; we are firmly in the Midlands.
Steve Arnott is a suitably sinister Sheriff of Nottingham, but it’s a shame that director Ed Curtis doesn’t give him the opportunity to ad-lib with the audience. Lauren Hampton’s Maid Marion is the real hero of Sherwood Forest, and Amelia Walker is the Spirit of Sherwood, but unfortunately, she is given little to do.
Diversity also dances with the hard-working ensemble, and Crossroads Pantomimes Company’s costumes are magnificent, especially the ghost outfits that bring cries of glee from the raucous crowd. Firman and the Banjo brothers do well to keep the energy high, but this Robin Hood travels as swiftly as an arrow in the air.
Runs until 4 January 2026
