Robin Hood’s story has long been enjoyed by people of all ages. At Asolo Rep it’s modern and musical, performed for teens on up. Within scenic and fictional frames, Hood uses abundant staging elements, starting with an overall tiered cage holding musicians on sides and actions centrally, often lit for special effect. Huge puppets are characters. Tableaus designate places. Shadow theater sequences appear in traditional black and white or against shiny red backgrounds. The human actors come on as themselves. Then, assuming proper clothing, they’re in roles, some even emerging from trap doors.
Lewis Finn’s music and lyrics vary in style, much depending on what Daniel Lopez’s Alan A’Dale sings and strums on his guitar and his assuming much narration. Robert of Loxley needs (and gets) impetus to become Anthony Chatmon II’s stalwart champion of the good and the poor, to whom he gives from bad rich. Maid Marian is still Robin’s fated lifelong love, but she never, in Savy Jackson’s interpretation, acts as a weak woman. Here she’s helped by two strong Ladies played well by Caitlin Humphreys and Erin Kei (who also essay brief other roles).
Essaying the Merry Men, now part of the Merry Band who join Robin in Sherwood Forrest, are Luke Anthony Neville’s flamboyant Scarlet, James Nanthakumar’s nice Friar Tuck, and Zachary Francis Stewart’s lumbering but lovable Little John. An early helper of Robert Loxley, Billie Aken-Tylers aids him at every turn. Meg, interpreted by Aury Krebs, definitely belongs in the Band. All of the members prove to be versatile taking smaller turns at other roles, too.
Nick Rehberger makes Robin’s chief adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham, a constant threat to him and Band members. In this version of the story, he kidnaps Marian and plots to wed her. Will an old or new King preside over the wedding? Suspense! Believably, Mark Brokaw’s direction encourages that feeling along with audience anticipation of possible new additions to Robin’s legend.
Since the pandemic delayed this production from being staged at Asolo Rep, it has reportedly gained in a two year waiting both some music and a bit of political meaning. Perhaps the best effect is the latter—that different people with different views can get together to do good things. An added benefit is a fun audience experience from being entertained in many ways, not the least of which is by truly fitting, good music.
