KATHERINE MACALISTER talks to the Oxford Playhouse’s two lead actors about starring in their first ever pantomime

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men. Feared by the bad, loved by the good. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood.”

Yet again, not only has the Oxford Playhouse pulled something new out of the bag with its first ever production of this folk hero classic, but it’s doing it in style.

And with two pantomime virgins as Robin Hood and Maid Marian, their enthusiasm knows no bounds. “I’ve only seen a handful of pantos,” Jos Vantyler, who plays Robin of Locksley, admits, “so I’m more excited than everyone else.”

Supplying the full all-singing and all-dancing package, Jos is raring to go and is blown away by the sheer professionalism and scale of the famous Oxford Playhouse pantomime. “The choreography is beautiful, the costumes are all being hand-made and sewn by an ex BBC dress-maker and the music is brilliant. But I knew Oxford was going to be good because I’d heard about Peter Duncan’s pantomimes,” the 28 year-old says.

Yes, the famous ex-Blue Peter presenter is back for his eighth year as writer and director of the Playhouse panto and yet again looks set to produce an absolute corker of a show – “the antidote to the big, coarse celebrity version,” as Jos puts it.

So what makes Oxford’s Christmas offering so successful? “I think it’s because they keep all the good panto traditions, while bringing the script right up to date, so you get the best of both worlds,” Jos muses. “There is a really warm, family feel about it and Robin Hood is such a rare panto which makes this year even more different and special.”

Maid Marian, Leonie Spilsbury, is sitting next to him eating porridge and honey like Golidilocks. The pair had never met before being cast in the lead roles but both hail “from within a stone’s throw away from each other” in Lincolnshire. The 26-year-old is an Oxford School Of Drama graduate is equally as delighted and geared up for her first panto, despite an impressive CV that boasts a lead in Mansfield Park which came to The Playhouse last year and the role of Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

“Robin Hood is great,” she says. “There’s loads of laughs, loads of action, loads of costume changes, you should see Friaress Tuck’s frock, loads of show-stopping songs, plus baddies galore with the evil Sheriff Of Nottingham and his side kick Guy of Gisbourne (pictured below left). There’s also a love triangle because Guy loves Marian and she loves Robin, but Robin thinks she’s a boy, so there’s lots going on. Oh and there’s a pond,” she adds mysteriously, “but we can’t say too much about that.”

“And there’s loads of stuff for boys,” Jos interrupts, “sword-fights and zip wires. It’s action packed,” he promises.

Leoni originally auditioned for the part of Scarlett, but when Peter Duncan saw her he asked her to audition for Marian instead, and picked her on the spot. “Peter has so much energy it’s amazing, and his inner child takes over meaning his shows are totally unjaded,” they tell me.

Which leads me nicely up to the THE kiss. “That’s the big question. To kiss or not kiss?,” Leonie teases, ”but I think there will be yes, so I’ll try to remember not to eat any hummus.”

“I think it needs a big sloppy kiss because Marian likes a bad boy and Robin is her bit of rough with his arrows slung over his shoulder. But Marion is also a strong role model because she knows her own mind,” Jos says, sticking up for her.

So how will they get through the whole panto season?

“We’ve had our flu jabs and I’ve asked everyone I know for advice because I don’t usually get out of bed before 10am let alone be on stage singing.

“So we will just have to take care of ourselves and have fun and feed off the energy of the audience. Because everyone knows kids are the hardest audience to please so we’ll have to stay on our toes,” Jos concludes.

A bit like Robin Hood himself then.

  • Robin Hood is riding into Oxford Playhouse from tomorrow until Sunday, January 12.
  • Call the box office on 01865 305305 or book online at oxfordplayhouse.com