Centerstage Theatre’s ‘Robin Hood’ Is Jolly-Good Fun for Families

The bottom line

Centerstage Theatre in Federal Way is performing a brand-new holiday panto this year, “Robin Hood,” and it offers jolly-good fun for families.

Panto, short for pantomime (though not to confused with silent miming) is a British holiday theater tradition in which fairy tales are retold as comedies — complete with silly songs, slapstick humor, puns and plenty of audience participation. With all this fun stuff, “Robin Hood” is perfect for kids 5 and older, and the rest of the family, too.

Highlights

The show begins with character Alana Dale setting up the story and instructing the audience on just when they should boo and cheer. Kids get into it right from the start. The story, written and directed by Vince Brady, follows daring Robin Hood as he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Along with his band of “merry people,” they're always on the run from the bumbling Sheriff of Nottingham.

Unfortunately, in this telling, Robin Hood isn’t very good at stealing and needs lots of practice. When Maid Marion and her nanny (played hilariously by Brad Cerenzia in drag) show up, romance between Robin Hood and Maid Marion blossoms. The stakes are raised when the Sheriff decides to marry Maid Marion himself and cut down Sherwood Forest in order to put up a building with his own name on it.

Sprinkled throughout the play are song-and-dance numbers performed to pop songs with the lyrics changed to fit the story. One especially memorable scene features funny, messy cooking and actors running through the audience as they try to prevent the Sheriff from catching Robin.

There is no “fourth wall” in this production — the fourth wall is the concept that there is separation between theater performers and their audience. The Dame picks a man in the audience and keeps up a running joke with him throughout the show, and kids are chosen from the audience to hold signs during a sing-a-long.

During a rendition of the “Ghostbusters” theme song, the audience helps the actors by telling them where the ghosts are. If your kid is the type who loves to volunteer to be on stage, sit near the front for better odds of being chosen to participate. The three tween boys I brought to the show really enjoyed it, and elementary-age kids I saw in the audience seemed to relish booing and cheering on the actors.

Parents should know

The show is fairly long at two hours, including an intermission. Although it is action-packed and engaging, some younger children might not be able to sit that long. Children with sensory sensitivities might have a tough time, as the show is loud and the actors run through the audience and throw candy at one point as well. There is a sensory-friendly performance Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. Buy tickets for this performance online and note that it's not marked on the site as the sensory-friendly performance.