Robin and his merry men storm The Maltings Arts Theatre stage (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Robin and his merry men storm The Maltings Arts Theatre stage

12:31pm Wednesday 19th December 2007

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OF ALL the pantos in all the towns of Hertfordshire, The Maltings Arts Theatre really knows how to put on a family show. The secret of resident theatre company Lanternfish's appeal is in staging shows that are genuinely suitable for even very young children as well as their parents. To which I might add, if last year's performance is anything to go by, they also get the thumbs up from hard to please teenagers, too.

Lanternfish's success is due to the fact that they tour to schools before putting on the pantomime back home in St Albans. By heading straight for their target audience the company manages to test the production before setting foot on the home stage.

With all the traipsing about across the country, Lanternfish has learned to perfect a portable set. So Sherwood Forest becomes the castle walls and back again for Robin Hood: Ye Old Pantomime of Merrie England. For this year, Xavier Williams, who plays the Sheriff of Nottingham, is making his directorial debut with Scott Smith as Robin Hood and Rebecca Vaughan as Maid Marion and the operator of a puppet owl.

I ask Xavier if directing as well as acting has made a big difference?

"It's very different to be learning the script and working on the set and costumes at the same time as dealing with invoices and booking in our next show, which will be Oliver Twist. So I'm co-directing with Louise Taor. I wouldn't want to do it without an objective eye and Louise has really helped make sure the show's energy is in the right place."

Xavier says the cast have spent some time devising how to use set pieces such as tables and chairs for a variety of ingenious uses. One minute they'll be a siege engine and the next a bath. I confess to not remembering the bath scene in Robin Hood but Xavier quickly explains the addition.

"The biggest thing about directing is I'm able to inject more real day to day activities into the show," says Xavier, "so we've added a whole bath scene. Directing has given me more freedom in stage craft, so I've added extra bits in."

Xavier tells me the audience has plenty of scope for joining in. At strategic points in the play they are called upon to play peasants, outlaws, merry men and the lords and ladies during the jousting scene. Xavier believes all this helps to keep the momentum going.

He says: "Children have such short attention spans and they say what they think, even if they think it's rubbish.

"You've got to read the audience. Seeing how excited they are is your first point of contact. You can feel if you need to build them up or be quite gentle.

"It just shows that however passive children have become with watching TV and playing computer games, they still have that yearning for make believe and using their imagination."

Xavier adds that the show works for adults as well.

So if the show were a children's film which one would it be?

"Shrek," the cast unanimously reply.

So with classic stories, inventive costumes and props, lots of audience participation and humour for all, Lanternfish seem to have created a winning formula.

The only other thing they need is the audience to take part, especially for the big scene at the end.

Xavier sums it up: "It's participation, but like you've never seen it before."

Details: 01727 844222

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