Robin Hood heeded a warning for all who attended the Baker University fall play, “Robin Hood.”
“Don’t just think you’re going to be able to sit there and not get involved,” sophomore Brandon Haefke, the actor who plays Robin Hood, said.
The play was held Thursday through Sunday in Rice Auditorium. It was a rendition of a popular English folklore about a “rotten do-gooder,” as the Sheriff, played by senior Patrick King, calls Robin Hood.
But rather than following the basic storyline, the cast members started the show as if they were an acting troupe in Baldwin City. Their interactivity began when they asked the audience what they wanted to see. After a round of “Robin Hoods,” they set about “acting” it for the audience.
In the words of Haefke, the rest of the storyline went as follows:
“The Sheriff is terrorizing Nottingham and then Robin Hood thwarts his efforts,” he said. “Prince John and the Sheriff try to get Robin Hood to stop being a Socialist, doesn’t work. Maid Marian is supposed to betray Robin but instead falls in love with him. Prince John becomes King and takes Robin in the end.”
Weaved in throughout this storyline were interactive opportunities for the audience. Viewers were told multiple times by Much, sophomore Jillian Miller, to yell “long live King Richard!” There was also a sack race for three audience members.
“It’s a kid show,” junior Abigail Jones, who played Maid Marian, said. “It’s always fun to interact and it really captures the kids attention. We have a cast that works really hard and with comedy you have to use different tactics, but it was fun.”
Director Tom Heiman used this opportunity as a chance to give his students training in the art of acting for different ages. He also said, “I’m just goofy that way, too.”
“The kids reacted well and the college kids got to act like kids again,” Heiman said. “The hard thing about comedy is getting control and trusting each other to come up with things and look stupid, but actually being funny instead.”
In Thursday’s showing of the play, there weren’t more than five minutes that went by without a laugh from the audience. Actors were melodramatic and cheesy; sometimes their actions even seemed to be improvisational. They used props such as rolling bathtubs and stick-horses, sound effects and personal narration, all in a well-rounded comedy for all ages.
This was Haefke’s first play, and he was surprised to receive the main role. Although he had to adjust his schedule and step out of his comfort zone, Haefke thinks that the overall experience was worthwhile.
“The rewarding part of this was coming together and telling a story,” Haefke said. “It’s really cliché but it’s true. It’s amazing to see how all the little pieces, the sound effects, lighting, props and our acting, and all the effort we put into it can come together to make this show.”
