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The musical Robin Hood, created by Chris De Berg and Dennis Martin and directed by Matthias Davis, welcomed its music director “home” at the Linz Landtheater on Wednesday. The convincing premiere of the musical theatre brought the audience to a standing ovation – Chris De Berg was also thrilled, as he told us on stage. Like Dennis Martin and production manager Peter Scholz, he did not miss the Austrian premiere.
The story of the 12th century is told in an extremely complex way, with not only the focus on rich and poor, king and people, but also the male relationship between Robin and Guy, the contradictions of friendship and competition, and the unusual love story between Marian and Robin, who face each other as strangers and married couples, and the political level: Robin Hood is also said to have participated in the Magna Carta. The horrors of the war lead Robin to return home traumatized, and the tolerated rape is not only aimed at servants of noble families, but is also not excluded.
The legend of Robin Hood is well known; Robin of Locksley goes off to war on his wedding night, and returns years later to find his father dead and his childhood friend Guy of Gisborne now Lord of the Castellan. His wife Marian is a stranger to him, as is life at home. After King Richard dies, his decadent brother John takes the throne and mistreats the people – Robin takes on him and becomes an outlaw.
As Robin, Philipp Buttner plays all aspects of the role, from rebellious son and traumatized war hero to passionate leader and loving husband who sees meaning in his actions. He sang “My Way” strongly in his duet with Guy and movingly in “I Don’t Know Who You Are” and “Free at Last” in his duet with charming Marianne. Tamara Pascual joins the already rehearsed troupe in Linz as the female lead, and her voice and performance are convincing, playing the innocent, indomitable and confident Lady Marianne. Thomas Holler makes the Guy – a powerful solo “Me or You” – initially inexperienced, then increasingly obsessed with power and increasingly competitive with Robin. Simon Staiger gives a very good performance as Brother Tuck, who brings more than just lightness and fun to the production. Philipp Hägeli plays the arrogant, cruel King John, and Kira Primke is the aloof abbess of Kirklees who plays her own game only to reveal herself at the end.
Thorsten Tinney takes on the persona of John Little after the death of class-conscious Earl von Loxely; Dennis Henschel plays the rebellious, angry outlaw Will Scarlett; and Konstantin Zander makes a convincing change as the Sheriff of Nottingham and his on-stage death. The 12-piece band, brilliantly played by Matthias Davids, delivers some of the musical’s most thrilling scenes. Catchy tunes such as “We’ve Got the Money”, “Come on, Let’s Get Five of Them All Right”, “For God and the King” and the standout “Freedom for Nottingham” based on de Burgh’s “Don’t Pay the King” from The Ferryman. “Stay in your ears, it’s not uncommon for premiere guests to hum one of the tunes as they leave the hall.
This coherent, entertaining musical has everything it needs to succeed: a well-told story, a fast-paced production that gets even better after the break; visually appealing choreography (Kim Duddy), which impresses in the sensitive scenes between Robin and Marianne and in the ensemble performances of bows and hooded robes – one of the strongest scenes: Robin’s liberation from the court; smart stage sets (Hans Kudlich) that can be easily transformed, from Sherwood Forest to the Huntington family estate, to the London palace, to the Palestinian war zone and the Abbey. The use of bevels and projections is particularly clever. The costumes (Conny Lüders) are just right and modern, with a lot of aristocratic sparkle, and emphasize the story, such as Marianne’s dress, which changes from innocent light blue to intense pink and finally black, or undermines John’s authority when his Alice wears a desperado’s hood – “the latest craze from London” – appears.
Since its premiere in Fulda on June 4, 2022, the musical, with songs written by Chris De Berg himself, has been staged in Germany and Switzerland. As a result, many things have changed during the performances. Davis is enthusiastic about the winter show in Linz and says: “That’s the great thing about a work that takes so long, you can play with the audience’s reaction and see how the tension grows.” And it was executed very successfully.
(Ulrike Inthaler/APA)
(Service – Robin Hood, Director: Mathias Davies, Choreography: Kim Duddy, Stage: Hans Kudlich, Costumes: Conny Lüders. With Philipp Büttner (Robin von Locksley), Tamara Pascual et al (Marian), Thomas Holler (Guy von Gisborne), Philip Hagley (King John), Thorsten Tinney (Wilhelm von Locksley/John Little), Kira Primke (Abbot of Kirklees), Constantine Zander (Sheriff of Nottingham) Other performances: July 11-14, July 16-21, July 23-28, 7:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 3:00 pm http://www.landestheater-linz.at）
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