ROBIN HOOD - OCTOBER 1950

No one has ever accused the Hatton Operatic Society of being lethargic, and certainly no one, to our knowledge, has ever forecast what the next show would be. Some societies thrive on the 'good old timers' which they know will bring in the money; but although of course this commodity is quite essential to the life of the H.O.S., the Selection Committee are never afraid to venture into unknown fields. Thus it was a bold venture to produce an unknown play on a stage that had never before seen a 'live' cast, at the Playhouse Picture Theatre, Feltham.

At the Staines Town Hall the stage was small and square, but here it was so narrow it gave the appearance of a piece of ribbon stretched across the width of the building. It was actually about 40' across the proscenium by 10' deep, but Robin Hood's Merry Men could surmount all difficulties, and as the curtain went up on the first Act, they carried on an inverted stag (dead one) slung on a pole, whilst they sang a rousing chorus. We had enlisted the help of four gallant men and true to act as Archers, and in his eagerness not to be late on set, one handsome lad put his chain-mail trousers on back to front which sight almost shattered the chorus in helpless laughter. Much rehearsal time was spent in Ken's back garden, firing at the water-tower with bows and arrows. He had invented a very ingenious arrow with a hidden spring with which it was intended to hit the target, but on the last night of the Show, the Archer was in such a hurry to speed his arrow that it ricochetted off the curtain.

In the chorus "Song of the Bow" all the girls were lined up flat against the back of the narrow stage, whilst the noble men tried out their skill along the edge of the footlights, and we really became expert contortionists, because some of the actions necessitated turning our heads sharply simultaneously from left to right and back again, as each arrow supposedly found its mark. If therefore, one girl turned her head in the wrong direction in the first place, she found herself staring stupidly into the face of the person next to her, and on trying to correct her mistake, the same thing happened on the other side. The onus of this show was carried by Ken who not only produced it but sang and performed in almost every scene.

We had been singularly fortunate in the good health of our principals, but one night Lady Rowena (Marjorie Brace) succumbed to food poisoning, and passed out gracefully at the side of the stage. In desperate panic Jose Harry (now Mrs Whenmouth) spent nearly all night swotting up the role of Lady Rowena ready for the Saturday performances. Fortunately however (for Jose) Marjorie recovered sufficiently to be able to carry on her role; thus Jose missed the chance of a lifetime, and might have become a star overnight.

The greatest drawback to the Playhouse Theatre was that the dressing rooms were in another building at the rear, so that between scenes we had to climb a 3' high step and rush full pelt across the intervening hundred yards to the Parish Hall, change for the next Act, then tear back again, breathless and windblown, ready for curtain up.

DORIS SEAMAN

REVIEW BY "KEYNOTE"

For more than 600 years the legends and ballads of Robin Hood and his merry men have delighted young and old, and story tellers have repeatedly turned to the exploits of the famous outlaw for entertaining material for their novels, poems, plays, operas and films. The latest work dealing with some of his adventures is a romantic light opera by Kathlyn Rhodes and Claude Keeton. With commendable enterprise, Hatton Choral and Operatic Society gave the opera its first stage presentation on Monday at Feltham Playhouse where it is being played throughout the week.

Kathlyn Rhodes has selected the well-known tales of Alan-a-dale's wedding, Robin Hood's encounter with Little John, the frustrated romance of the Sheriff's daughter, her brother's plot to overthrow the King and secure Maid Marian for himself, bringing the final curtain down on Robin Hood's wedding. By skilful arrangement of these episodes, she has obtained continuity. Mr Keeton's simple, tuneful music is pleasing but lacking in variety; it is too often cast from the same mould to keep the ear alert and interested; nor does it materially assist the plots by heightening the dramatic tension or give more significance to the words.

It would however be unfair to judge the work as a whole on Monday night's production when a few important members of the cast were not word-perfect, when there were uncomfortable gaps and raggedness due to faulty timing between orchestra and stage, and when the pace was lethargic throughout. A chief offender in this last respect was Kenneth Newell, who in the title character, played Robin Hood not as the inspiring dashing outlaw of legend, but as a melancholy love-lorn forester possessing fewer attributes for leadership than any one of his merry men. Daniel McConnachie (Friar Tuck), Alfred Smith (Will Scarlett) and Derek Knight (Little John) strove valiantly to infuse the opera with some life. Herbert Robinson gave regal dignity to the character of King Henry II and Phyllis Knight (Maid Marian) and Marjorie Brace (Lady Rowena) made the most of their important roles.

EXTRACT FROM ANOTHER PRESS NOTICE

A bold venture by the Hatton Choral and Operatic Society began at the Playhouse Cinema, Feltham, on Monday, when fifty members and an orchestra of twenty-five combined to give the first performannce of the romantic light opera “Robin Hood” written by Kathlyn Rhodes with music by A Claude Keeton.

This gay and colourful opera made a fitting "comeback" for the Society which has been forced for the past two years to perform outside the district because of the lack of stage facilities. The first night support however was not encouraging.

The well-known story of the outlaw of Sherwood Forest need not be explained. The sequences were easy to follow, but at times the dialogue was slow and hardly audible. This was offset by the magnificent singing of the company and it should improve as the week progresses and the performers get over their obvious nervousness. The singing and acting of Kenneth Newell in the title role was an outstanding feature. He was performing on the stage for most of the three hours of the show and it was therefore understandable that his dialogue, and also that of the other main characters, was not perfect all the time. The singing of Herbert Robinson during the Nottingham Fair scene was the best of the evening.

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