Reviewed by Jodie Crawford

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This year’s Christmas extravaganza from Oldham Coliseum, is the tale of everyone’s favourite thief, Robin Hood, who steals from the rich to give to the poor – what’s not to love! 

I took my three-year-old along, and I was a little worried that she would be too young, but she absolutely loved it. She was totally mesmerised from start to finish. This show is filled with tonnes of energy and heaps of pizazz!

This is a wonderful ensemble cast with strong performances from all in this high-energy and hugely entertaining production.

The young dancers (the Merry Men), choreographed by Adele Taylor, are simply wonderful. They have the audience dancing in their seats: every performance is delivered with great energy and enthusiasm as they blend with the adult company seamlessly.

Nelly Nurse (Charlie Ryan) and Friar Tuck (William Travis) were the stars of the show for me. Their interaction with the audience helped to keep the young ones engaged throughout. Nelly’s outfits, by Celia Perkins, are exceptional and exactly what you’d expect for the Dame. Charlie Ryan is a really fantastic dame – he gives us so many laughs from cheeky jokes to poking fun at politicians, he’s also really loveable.

Liz Carney gives us a perfect pantomime villain as The Sheriff, she’s wonderfully wicked and laps up the boos from the audience while Shorelle Hepkin who saves the day as Robin Hood has a wonderful warmth and on stage rapport.

Celia Perkins’ colourful stage design is bright and inviting, gifting this cast with a wonderful Sherwood in which to entertain us.

Oldham Coliseum give us everything you’d hope for from a classic panto; from shouts of “he’s behind you” to thigh slapping gags and plenty of opportunities for booing and hissing. What works really well in this production is the use of contemporary music to entertain the audience adding to the many laugh out loud moments. There were a few schools’ groups in for the show I saw, and they were absolutely loving it, joining in with the songs and cheering the cast.

A true sign of a good panto is always how the audience engages, and there is no one harder to engage than a teenager – but this cast had them eating out of their hands. Oldham Coliseum have well and truly delivered with this panto. It is a must see for all the family, a real Christmas cracker!

Robin Hood is on at Oldham Coliseum until Saturday 7th January tickets available here.