It’s on again, that great baggy monster of a production, the Armidale Dumaresq community pantomime starring most of the city’s movers and shakers regardless of thespian capabilities.
This year there will be four performances at the Armidale Town Hall from November 26 of Robin Hood: Lost in Tights starring Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay in the title role.
“I was warned after Peter Pan that I should never wear tights again,” he quipped.
“But in this version of Robin Hood I become the role model – everyone wants to wear tights.”
Once again social entrepreneur Pam Menzies has gathered her team, writer/director Warren Bartik; associate director and choreographer Sue Mann and assistant producers Narelle Marshall and Poh Woodland to stage the city’s biggest production outside university graduations.
The team has worked together in three previous biennial community pantomimes based loosely on famous children’s stories, Peter Pan, Alice Lost in the Tablelands and A-lad-in the Tablelands, raising over $50,000 for the Armidale Hospital. Casts have reached as high as 80 on stage as well as backstage crew.
This year the cast of 50 includes the mayor, local councillors and council staff, doctors, nurses, teachers, academics including the Vice-Chancellor, real estate agents, members of the business community and community members.
“Logistically it is a nightmare but it is all fun,” Ms Menzies says and is looking forward to the bump in at the Town Hall in the final week when the entire production comes together.
“Sometimes I wish we had the authority to snap our fingers and get things done but this is a community production and many of the cast are on shift work.
“It makes getting full rehearsals difficult.
“Also, as many of our actors are on stage for the first time, it takes a while for them to feel comfortable, but once they do, it’s difficult to get them off it. They ad lib and add bits on. They have so much fun. We all do.”
The localised plot broadly follows the Robin Hood story, with Peter McGarry as the villainous Sherriff of Hillgrove and Council Engineer David Stellar his sidekick Sir Guy of Gostwyck. Peter Georkas plays Prince John and ADC General Manager Shane Burns, The Executioner. On the side of the goodies, there is Mayor Peter Ducat as King Richard, fresh from the crusades and his intended Duchess Alyse played by Kim Bastow. Panto veteran Robin Diebold plays the Soothsayer.
Action man Robin Hood becomes a fashion statement in tights, with Guyra Council General Manager David Cushway as Little John and Armidale Dumaresq Councillor Bruce Whan as Friar Muck, his devoted fashionista disciples. All the merry men are a tights band. Robin, Maid Marion and their gang hang out in the forest as social engineers, robbing the rich and distributing the proceeds to the poor. In King Richard’s absence they have been dispossessed of their lands and titles, the Guyralladale villagers starve and the wicked sherriff is unaware that his comeuppance is just around the corner.
Bookings at Armidale Dumaresq Council.
Performances on Friday, November 26 at 7.30pm, Saturday, November 27 at 3pm; Friday, December 2 at 8pm and Saturday, December 3 at 8pm. Concessions and various seating options available.
