Wanted! Robin Hood has had a great run but it’s nearly time for the curtain to fall for the last time. We caught up with Oli Llewellyn Jenkins who plays Will Scarlet ahead of the last few shows…
Going into the final week of any show there’s always a strange mix of excitement and sadness. None more so than with Wanted! Robin Hood. Over the past few months we’ve become exceptionally close as a cast, more of a family to be quite honest.
From day one of rehearsals we all knew just how exciting this piece was going to be. During the read-through we could sense just how much fun it was going to be to perform, not only because we have a fantastic and funny script thanks to Charles Way, but also because we knew there would be lots of doubling up on characters. With a small cast of eight almost everybody was assigned two, or sometimes three different characters, which is always challenging.
One of the things that makes this show unique is the magnitude of stage fights. We’ve tried to make the fights in the show as realistic as possible but without losing any humor that you would expect from a Christmas show. Our fight director Renny Krupinski has done an excellent job in ensuring just that. Playing with swords on a daily basis not only makes this show exciting to perform but also appeals to the inner child in all of us.
Our designer Hayley Grindle also wanted to capture the feeling of a more contemporary and realistic Robin Hood, again without totally losing the traditional feel. My costume for Will Scarlet consists of tracksuit bottoms, boots, sweatshirt and scarf, which might sound quite contemporary but when topped off with a more traditional rough-looking waistcoat and fingerless gloves, it gives the design a timeless feel.
The first time we saw the set we couldn’t believe how fantastic it was. It completed the whole look of the piece. The chains hanging from the ceiling really gave the set a bit of a gloomy, forest-like atmosphere. Along with the lighting, costumes, fights and the script itself we knew that when it was all put together, we had a very special show.
It’s hard to believe that we’re already going into our final week of this production. The cast and crew have worked tirelessly to ensure that the play could be as good as we knew it could be at the read-through. It has been a pleasure to be a part of the Library Theatre Company and I hope you’re able to join us to cheer on Robin during our final week.
Wanted! Robin Hood runs until Sat 11 Jan 2014. You can book tickets online here or from The Lowry Box Office on 0843 208 6010.