Robin Hood
Heading to Birmingham Hippodrome for their annual Panto offering has become a pre-Christmas ritual for me, and when the quality is this good, it fills me with enough festive cheer for the whole season!
This year we have Robin Hood, courtesy of Crossroads Pantomime who are quite literally the crème de la crème of Pantomime aficionados! With big lavish sets, extraordinary costumes and cast lists of the highest quality, it’s no surprise that the people of Birmingham come in their multitudes to join in the fun.
Back at the helm is Birmingham Panto legend Matt Slack. Having starred in the Birmingham Hippodrome Pantomime for the past 12 years, Matt always delivers a thoroughly comical performance, able to make even the scrooges in the audience raise a smile. Add into the mix Gok Wan this year as ‘Gok Scarlet’, we have a couple of hours of side splitting capers between the two who clearly love working together. This double act is one we need to see more of!
Steps pop queen Faye Tozer takes on the role of Maid Marian offering up two classic Steps tunes to perfection. Matt Cardle of X Factor fame gives us his best baddie in the Sheriff of Nottingham, able to bring the right amount of boos from the younger members of the audience as he hatches a plan to capture Robin Hood. Musical theatre royalty Sandra Marvin wows with her incredible vocals throughout as The Spirit of Sherwood. Resident Birmingham Dame Andrew Ryan opens the show with a bang showing off his vocal prowess. He has the most extraordinary array of costumes which get more and more outrageous as the show goes on, a real display of top quality artistry.
However the crown this year goes to Christopher Biggins who guest stars as King Richard. Now in his 60th year in Pantomime, Biggins is a master of his craft and every time he appeared on stage you couldn’t help but laugh …..in a good way obviously! He threw himself into the role completely with plenty of hilarious costume changes which even involves a Pamela Anderson style Baywatch swim suit! Such a good sport and a welcome addition to this year’s cast.
It’s safe to say that the story is very much in the background, so if you’re looking for a deep and meaningful plot then you’re in the wrong place! This show is all about the fun, whether that be high energy acrobatics from The Acromaniacs or the incredibly funny “one thing I’d rather be’ sketch, you can be guaranteed a fantastic night at the theatre. A big shout out is needed to the incredible ensemble cast who work tirelessly as the backbone of this production, with multiple costume changes and big routines, they work non stop throughout as do the incredible orchestra under the musical direction of Robert Willis.
It’s crazy, camp and chaotic, but surely that’s what Panto should be! Make sure you head to Birmingham Hippodrome before the 1st February 2026 to join this band of merry men as they entertain you. Hitting all the right targets!
This show was reviewed on 22nd December 2025 at Birmingham Hippodrome where it runs until the 1st February 2026. Tickets available here: Robin Hood – Birmingham Hippodrome
Review written by Emma Rowley
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Photo credit: Paul Coltas
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