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New stage interpretation links legend to six social eras!

Specially commissioned to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Nottingham's Theatre Royal, "HOOD – The Legend Continues" is a unique play that weaves the traditional characters and principles from the Robin Hood legend into the historic time-frame that reflects some of the social issues and events over the century and a half of the Theatre's existence. This dual celebration of both the theatre and the legend represents a real challenge for any theatre company to take on but New Perspectives, as their name suggests, have creatively interwoven the interesting and varied approaches from six of the region's best writers and managed to deliver an entertaining and thought-provoking production. Congratulations to Jack McNamara and all his team of actors, writers and behind the scenes staff, who all helped to "pull-it-off"!

Combining some "laugh-out-loud" moments with some serious social comment, the difficult balance between humour and drama are generally effectively maintained throughout the performance. Lots of "in" jokes mirroring local politics and events etc. drew knowing, appreciative responses from the press night audience but "outsiders" might struggle to pick up on their significance?

Excellent performances from a competent and professional cast all helped to give each storyline a degree of plausibility and the creative ways in which the transition from one era to the other was achieved ensured a pretty much seamless progression between acts that kept the play moving at a pace that held your attention.

The musical contributions of Ed Thorpe as Alan A dale and Adam Morris's sharp wit as the Sheriff of Nottingham (including his white-suited, John Travolta-style dance routine) all helped capture the mood and the production as a whole encapsulated all the essential elements from the traditional stories, including Robin's feuding with the Sheriff; his romance with Maid Marian and the camaraderie of the Merry Men (although Friar Tuck only got mentioned in the narrative and never actually put in an appearance?)

The simple but effective stage set readily adapted to the changing situations and there were some really nice touches, such as the silent movie-style sequence, featuring authentic looking captions and I also enjoyed the protest rally against the Sheriff's Way.

The unique concept of the play and its Nottingham focus make it somewhat difficult to explain what the audience can expect but it is definitely a production worth seeing and I recommend that you go along and see if it works for you! But you will have to hurry as "Hood" concludes its run on Saturday September 26th so telephone the Box Office on (0115) 9895555 or book on line at trch.co.uk.