Robin Hood

To direct, we enlisted one of the Bay Area’s hottest young directors, Cliff Mayotte, whose Rough and Tumble Theatre Company was enjoying massive success and artistic accolades. We loved working with Cliff and we loved the group of actors assembled for the production. We loved the gorgeous set, the colorful and inventive costumes playfully created by K. C. Wallace. But somehow, the show didn’t entirely resonate with Marin audiences. Something about the style of the writing, which had obviously tickled folks in Idaho, was not quite sophisticated enough for Marin. And the play was a little too grown-up for children. Although we felt in many ways it was a better show than Peter Pan, the audience response wasn’t quite the same.

We learned that what’s a blockbuster in Idaho can turn out to be merely good in California. We don’t regret anything about the production. It was well done and entertaining – and it did have a great message about the importance of the poor and downtrodden.

Many wonderful things -- friendships and working relationships -- came out of that production. The best one is certainly Julian Mayotte, son of Cliff and Louise Chegwidden, who met during Robin Hood. While not the first Marin Shakespeare romance (by a long shot) and not the first Marin Shakespeare baby, Julian is perhaps the first (but not last) baby who might not be here if it weren’t for Marin Shakespeare Company – now that’s what we call a great production.

From the Playbill – Director’s Notes:

“I believe that, more than any character of the past thousand years, Robin Hood embodies the qualities of a popular hero. He is a working class hero, someone we can see and talk to and share a tankard of ale with; the ‘Sir Robin’ of some versions is a much later addition. His abilities are not god-given by earned through hard work and skill.

Ultimately, Robin represents something modern man truly feels: a yearning for freedom and justice in a world growing steadily more complex, with all the accompanying danger and responsibility that freedom and justic bestow. Nigro wreaks wonderful havoc on the Robin Hood archetype. He managers to recreate our shared mythology, telling a story both historical and accessible, running the gamut from ‘Olde English’ to Mel Brooks. It confounds and exceeds our expectations, like seeing a new personality trait in an old friend and being pleasantly surprised.”

(Continued..)