The Frederick theater department recently put on The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, a humorous play recounting the timeless tale of the classic hero. The play was directed by Chris Parr and starred senior Michael Allred as the titular character, as well as senior Leea Beeker, junior Ellie Palmer, and junior Shaun Furr, with junior Mia Salas student directing.
The play begins in Sherwood Forest, where Robin laments about not being able to marry the beautiful Maid Marian. Suddenly the stage manager appears onstage, and flashes back to the beginning of the story, where Robin meets Marian in the forest, where she is accompanied by the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham. When the sheriff finds out about Robin’s wish to marry Marian, he (claiming to be the best archer in the land) holds an archery competition for everyone in the land, stating that the victor wins the hand of Marian. At one point, after attempting to visit Marian at the castle, Robin is caught by Prince John and the sheriff and gets trapped in the Dungeon of Demise, but with the help of his merry men and their trusty spoons he is able to escape.
Unfortunately for Robin, the sheriff finds out that he is the best archer in the land. Not wanting Robin to win, the sheriff changes it into a bowling competition. As the stage manager thinks of ways to sneak Robin into the competition without arousing suspicion, she reveals that she is actually the best bowler in the land, and decides to teach Robin so he can win the competition. When the competition arrives, Robin shows up in a disguise. He and the sheriff are tied for most of the competition; however, eventually Robin wins and reveals himself to accept Maid Marians’ hand in marriage. Prince John and the sheriff try to capture him, but with the help of the stage manager and her ability to move quickly from scene to scene, the group receives a decree from Prince John’s older brother, King Richard, stating that the sheriff is to be banished from the land, and that Prince John is to rule no longer. Robin and Marian get married and live happily ever after.
The show was very humorous and entertaining. It was clear that the actors and technicians put in a lot of work and effort into this show and their talent shone through. There were also some funny Easter eggs in the show, including nods to the theater departments’ other shows from this school year (A Chorus Line in October of 2023 and the upcoming show, Mamma Mia, which will be in April of this year). Overall it was an entertaining, family friendly show that had the audience laughing throughout.
