A Festive Night of Jokes and Jubilant Mischief at the Elgin Winter Garden – front mezz junkies, Theater News

The Toronto Theatre Review: Canadian Stage’s Robin Hood: A Very Merry Family Musical

By Ross

Inside the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre on a cold December eve, the air feels electric with mischief and childhood excitement, much like the other day when I saw Disney’s Frozen at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. The kids were on seasonal festive fire, glowing like they’re in on a holiday secret that only the young can fully understand. And every adult face beside them carries the desperate and hopeful question: will the Panto magic still work its magic on the young, and us old-timers (like me), after all these years? The answer, judging by the uproarious laughter, the delighted shrieks of children, and the not-so-subtle hoots from the adults (including, much to my surprise, myself), is a resounding yes. This Canadian Stage production of Robin Hood: A Very Merry Family Musical might be the most effortlessly joyful, ridiculously fun, and subversively (adult) hilarious Panto Toronto has seen in ages.

For the uninitiated, the holiday Pantomime tradition began in England as early as the seventeenth century. It grew out of commedia dell’arte, music hall, and the impulse to mix fairy tales with topical humour, audience participation, and a healthy amount of cross-dressing. Praise the British theatre gods for that, and the Canadian ones for keeping the tradition alive. Its defining ingredients are familiar: a hero to cheer, a villain to boo, a dame to adore, pop songs reimagined, and jokes that soar high for the kids and dive suggestively low for the adults. Toronto’s Panto tradition has embraced that recipe since 1996, and this year’s outing leans into it with unrestrained glee, checking all those boxes with a big red holiday marker, and delivering the best holiday delight one could ask for.

Visually, this production sparkles just as brightly as its cast. The glorious set design by Brandon Kleiman (Stratford’s La Cage Aux Folles) turns the Elgin Winter Garden into a storybook playground of surprises and cheeky visual gags. Ming Wong’s delicious costumes amplify every character beat, from Robin’s pop-princess swagger to Prince John’s villainous couture. The lighting design by Bonnie Beecher (Shaw’s Major Barbara) keeps the show shimmering like a holiday bauble, and Brian Kenny’s solid sound design lands every joke, music cue, and audience shout with crisp charm. Together, the design team gives the show a playful grandeur that never overwhelms the performers but frames them with warmth and wit.

Standing tall as our hero to cheer for, the incredibly engaging Julia Pulo (Chaos & Light’s Almost Ever After) returns as Robin, and she arrives like a glitter cannon, firing charisma everywhere she goes. Dressed like one of those fabulous Queens from Six on a well-earned lunch break, she sings and kicks her way through Torontoshire with a confidence that instantly wins our hearts, even when her control issues cause an employee walkout just before the orders start flying in on “Robin’s Hood“-ies. Pulo is a natural Panto anchor. She carries us through the plot with the agility of someone who understands that a Panto heroine needs to be both sincere, a little bit sparkly, and instantly engaging with the audience. And she nails it wonderfully at every turn.

Her merry crew of thieves and helpers matches her energy in full force, especially the wonderful Eddie Glen (CanStage’s Rocky Horror) as Friar Tuck and the absolutely adorable (and acrobatic) Julius Sermonia (Broadway’s Jesus Christ Superstar) as Little John, both of whom lean into their silliness with infectious “Serenity now!” delight. And then there is Praneet Akilla (CanStage’s Romeo and Juliet) as Marion, playing a charming double agent nepo-baby and leaning into traditional leading-man handsomeness with a wink and a sheepish grin that never feels forced. It’s no surprise that the twinkle in Robin’s eye lights up when she first meets him (and vice versa).

But the biggest “best days of our lives” scene-stealers are the two performers who seem physically unable to stop hilariously entertaining the audience for even a second. As an unwanted (but sorta needed) nursemaid to the over-20-year-old Robin, Sparkle Bum, as portrayed by Daniel Williston (Soulpepper’s Spoon River), is a towering, rollicking triumph of comic drag invention. He fires off double entendres with such joy that the adults in the audience nearly choked laughing, while their kids stared up at him with pure, delighted enchantment (and maybe a wee bit of confusion). Williston plays Sparkle Bum bigger than life, but somehow with absolute precision and clarity. Mischievously picking up a discarded pair of handcuffs as he makes his grand exit, every joke lands, every aside zings, and every dance move is met with giggles and delight.

And then there is the ever-so-talented and always reliable Damien Atkins (Factory’s Here Lies Henry), giving what might be one of the funniest villain turns Toronto has seen since Panto arrived on these shores. As the evil Prince John, he drinks up the chorus of boos with a theatrical appetite that borders on decadent. “Boos are delicious to me,… like a milkshake,” he purrs, and the audience obeys by shouting more. Atkins fantastically blends Paul Lynde mischief with Miranda Priestly‘s pursed lips and acid tones, creating a villain so perfectly ridiculous that you almost want him to win, if only to keep him on stage longer. I so wasn’t ready for that!

The ensemble adds exactly the right amount of sass and silliness needed to complete the picture. Jordan Bell, Kyle Brown, Malinda Carroll, Sierra Holder, Cara Hunter, and Jean-Paul Parker fill the stage with cheeky comedy and stellar choreography by Jennifer Mote (Stratford’s Rent), which keeps the show riding comfortably on a wave of high energy. The direction by Mary-Frances Moore (Theatre Aquarius’ The Time Capsule) gives the production the easy, full flow of a show that knows exactly what it is: a holiday romp designed to make every single spectator feel like they are in on the joke. The script by Matt Murray (CanStage’s The Wizard of Oz) is as sharp and topical as can be, making playful, yet pointed jabs at politics and Toronto culture, while tossing in plenty of jokes that fly merrily into or over the children’s heads.

The music, thanks to musical direction by Mark Camilleri (HGJTC’s Funny Girl), lands with pure delight, especially the cleverly reworked pop songs that had the audience clapping, singing, and laughing along without hesitation. And because it is a Panto, the fourth wall was not simply broken but gleefully stomped through. Children yelled out advice or warnings as requested, adults muttered louder-than-usual cheers and ‘boos’ when prompted, and four lucky volunteers were pulled onto the stage to help move the plot along sneakily, after some lovely banter with Glen’s gloriously engaging Friar Tuck. It felt like community disguised as a theatrical performance, a reminder of why Pantos endure. They require the audience to say yes, to join in, to be a little silly, and to let joy win for an evening.

By the end of the night, the theatre buzzed with that rare combination of pure fun and well-crafted comedy. Robin Hood: A Very Merry Family Musical offers exactly what a Panto should. It is cheeky without tipping into crassness, honest and warm without descending into syrup, and jabbing and sharp enough to keep even the most jaded adults (like me) laughing and playing along. If holiday musical theatre is meant to bring people together in joy, this Panto production does so with an expert ease. It shoots its arrow straight into the heart of the season and hits the target with a laugh and a cheer. And of course it ends with a well-spoken learning moment, prompted by a nursemaid who, it seems, needs to find a brand new baby to ‘care’ for.