Lil' Red Robin Hood: river deep, mountain high, Sugarbum rules
07 Dec 2019

by Drew Rowsome -
Photos by Rachael McCaig

And it gets stronger, in every way/And it gets deeper, let me say/And it gets higher, day by day/And do I love you my oh my/Yeah river deep mountain high

Lil' Red Robin Hood, the 23rd (over two decades worth!) annual panto presented by Ross Petty, may not necessarily be "stronger" or "deeper" (can't vouch for "higher" but there is a very funny cannabis legalization joke and a few jokes only a stoner would appreciate), but it is definitely slicker, subtler, brasher and incredibly sung. And I do love it oh my.

The Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry classic may not have anything to do with Christmas (and only a tangential relationship to the context of Lil' Red Robin Hood) but when Sugarbum stops the show in the second act with a blazing version of the Tina Turner/drag queen anthem, the panto ethos of 'anything goes if it entertains' is fulfilled. What the much smaller confines of the Winter Garden loses in energy, it gains in proximity to the glorious voices on display. Stripped of trashy melisma fireworks, the cast eggs each other on to vocal heights, delighting in an ever escalating friendly competition to raise the roof.

The plot itself has nothing to do with Christmas either, it is a straightforward allegory about the power of education, reading and respecting the different ways that people acquire knowledge. And specifically how denigrating others or handicapping the competition does not make one the best. Yes, Doug Ford, though never named explicitly, is an evil idiot villain, "stable genius" "small handed" Trump is a pompous egotist, and Andrew Scheer is an irrelevant punchline. All three of them could take lessons from the sublime Sara-Jeanne Hosie (Falsettos) whose gleeful quest for world domination, and to be the smartest person alive, is an epic admirable endeavour.

If the theme is broad, and some of the gags broader, the performances are grounded in the unreality of Lil' Red Robin Hood. Robert Markus (James and the Giant Peach) is an amiable and energetic protagonist who sings and dances like a teen idol without the smirk. There is a charming vulnerability to his performance that makes even the dated Game of Thrones jokes work. The handsome nerd as hero is a cliché, but it is a resonant one. He travels back in time to meet a feisty feminist Maid Marion as incarnated by the quintessential little girl with a big voice AJ Bridel (Company, A Christmas Carol, Assassins, Kinky Boots). Marion has a tortured relationship with the Errol Flynn/Harry Styles-esque Robin Hood, a stalwart and sexy Lawrence Libor, and when they duet on the Backstreet Boy classic "I Want It That Way," every boy band and thwarted romance is forgiven.

Daniel Williston (The Wizard of Oz, Kinky Boots, Evil Dead the Musical) is the voice of reason and the suave if shy love interest of Sugarbum. As powerful as Williston is as a singer and a presence, no-one can escape Sugarbum's shadow. Michael De Rose (Reprint, Parade, Merrily We Roll Along, Grease, My Dinner with Casey Donovan) projects such debauched innocence and sheer joie de vivre, that Sugarbum is irresistible and iconic. Hosie as the Sheriffe of Naughtyham is the ying to Sugarbum's yang. The audience, who are supposed to boo and hiss at her, were either convulsed with laughter or simply stunned by her seductive dastardliness.

Hosie and Eddie Glen (The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, The Wizard of Oz) duet in bantering and schticking, breaking the fourth wall with abandon, determined to crack up the audience and each other. And usually succeeding. Glen also shows off his vocal chops - as he ruefully exclaims, "For the first time in 17 years" - biting into a rock god rendition of "Cold as Ice." It was worth waiting for. As usual, the main cast receives able support from a flexible and frenetic chorus with punchlines and personalities as well as pirouettes and acrobatics. Conor Scully (The Wizard of Oz, The Wedding Singer) manages to momentarily steal focus with a malicious sister act, but director/choreographer Tracey Flye keeps the limbs, quips and harmonies spinning in dazzling synchronicity.

The Ross Petty pantos have become a well-oiled show business machine with a few deliberately ad-libbed or absurd moments stirred in for sugar and spice - a Broadway worthy musical whipped up for a short seasonal run. On opening night - and nb: this is the 11th or 12th Ross Petty panto I have experienced (over a decades worth!) - even the audience (ie: child) participation moment was adorable, sweet and, most importantly, very funny. Every year the grinchy Scrooge in me gets overridden by the tykes and the talent and, even if I miss the ramshackle charm of the earlier pantos, plastering groaners and slapstick over technical shortcomings, I can't begrudge Lil' Red Robin Hood's slickness and polish.  

And who could resist a pointed sight gag, barely minutes into the show, that posits Hazel McCallion and Cher are soul sisters? Or being teased by the prospect of Markus's dick pic? Or quoting Lady Gaga and snippets of classic musical theatre (and thus the essence of gay culture)? And of course, the divine Sugarbum, ruling over all with a song that was a hit before most of the audience was born, and teaching a history lesson (remember kids, learning is good, Doug Ford and the conservatives are bad) in pop culture brilliance.