Robin Hood at the York Theatre Royal – Review

We saw Robin Hood, The Arrow of Destiny at the York Theatre Royal and it was brilliant!

Before I talk about the show, I must mention that in the foyer they have a rack of children’s costumes.  You can dress up your kids and get great photos!  Surprisingly Miss H refused, but I managed to wrestle Master T to the ground until he agreed to submit!  All the other children seemed to love the dressing up too.

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I had told the children it was a summer pantomime – and it was, but with lots of other elements too. There were some (slightly creepy!) looking puppets, but used in a really imaginative way, as well as lots of other ingenious bits and pieces that really made it more than just a play.  The staging was great, and the lighting was fabulously atmospheric.

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The main thing though is that it is really funny! It veers between completely slapstick, laugh out loud comedy to more subtle a-bit-above-the-kids’-heads double entendre adult humour. Lots of burp and fart jokes too which went down well with nine year old Master T. (Incidentally the word ‘fart’ is considered a swear word in our family but does not seem to be in other people’s – thoughts?).

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I loved the musical score, which again was eclectic with contemporary rap styles (another hit with Master T) to more musical theatre in style (big hit with me).

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I thought the whole thing had a cool and contemporary vibe, and most importantly, so did the kids!  It’s Robin Hood reimagined – it won’t be what you are expecting, but has a refreshingly modern take on the old story.  The children came out chattering away about what they had seen, the bits they liked best and what they thought was funniest.  It was a great day out in York and a highlight of the summer holidays for us.

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Robin Hood – The Arrow of Destiny

York Theatre Royal

Fri 04 Aug – Sat 02 Sep

Time: 7pm (Tuesday & Thursday – Saturday), 2.30pm (Wednesday – Saturday)

Running Time: 2 hours 30 min (including interval)

Venue: Main House

Ticket Information: £24.50 – £14 | Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children OR 1 adult & 3 children): £70 evening/£65 matinee

Booking Fee: £1.50 transaction fee per booking

Age Recommendations: 5+

York Theatre Royal invited us to review, but as ever all the opinions are my own.

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3 Comments

  1. Yes! The word fart was always a no no when I was growing up

    1. People are always making me feel like I am strange, so am glad you said that!

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