REVIEW: Babes in the Wood

Presented by Duncan C. Weldon and Triumph Apollo Productions Ltd.

December 1985

Character: The Sheriff of Nottingham

The Panto Scene-By-Scene

Act I Opens in the grounds of Nottingham Castle, where the orphaned Colin and Mary – ‘The Babes’ of the title (Amber Jane Raab & Corinna Reardon or Joanne Smith & Amber Finlan), arrive to meet their uncle and new Ward, The Sherriff (Peter Wyngarde) who, like all good Panto villains, is up to no good.

Although he was at first deeply inconvenienced at being left his brother’s children to care for, The Sherriff and his two henchmen, Spike Head (Spike Milligan) and Billy Blunt (Bill Pertwee) soon realise that they could actually be quite useful to them in carrying out their evil machinations.

Over at Sherwood School, Nurse Goodbody (Patrick Cargill) believes that she has Colin and Mary under her control… until two new pupils arrive in the form of robbers, Spike and Billy.

Back in the nursery, Freddie the Jester (Ken Goodwin) is telling the two children a story before bedtime, but poor Nurse Goodbody has the devil’s own job in getting them to take their medicine. Eventually ‘though, the children drift off to sleep, and it’s then that Spike and Billy break into the nursery to steal The Babes and take them to Sherwood Forrest. But as fate would have it, Fairy Christabel (Evelyn Laye) is on hand to save them. With the help of the Spirits of the Forest, she takes them to a safe haven.

Act II. Back at Nottingham Castle, Nurse Goodbody confronts The Sherriff, and a fight ensues between the two of them involving a basket of fish!

Meanwhile in Sherwood Forest, Maid Marion (Susie Blake) brings Robin Hood (Deirdre Forrest) the news that he and his Merrie Men must find and rescue the children before The Sherriff and his henchmen are able to carry out their evil plan.

While Little John (Simon Brotherhood), Friar Tuck (Ralph Meanley), Will Scarlet (Jeremy Rose) and Much the Miller (David Capri) are searching for The Babes, Robin and Nurse Goodbody happen upon something creepy – cue the obligatory “He’s behind you!” scene. (“Oh no he isn’t” etc.)

Back at the Castle, however, The Sherriff already has the children in his power, and forces Freddie the Jester to give away a vital secret. Nevertheless, as is usually the case with such stories, good inevitably triumphs over bad, and everyone – except The Sherriff and the two Robbers presumably – live happily ever after.

Above: A rare survivor from the show is this paper mask that came as a wraparound gift on the front of the programme.

In Retrospect

Something old, something news, something borrowed but never blue – that was the philosophy of Jimmy Perry’s[1] lavish production of ‘Babes in the Wood’ at the Richmond Theatre. It, of course, had all the ingredients that has made the Pantomime a staple of the British stage since the 16th Century.

Panto is often scoffed at by theatre snobs, but it is often the case that this Christmas and New Year perennial is the first taste of the stage that many people in the UK have. Certainly, many of our greatest actors have confessed to having gained their love of live theatre as a result of being taken to a pantomime either by a parent or school. And, of course, it’s the not-so-humble panto that has helped many small provincial theatres survive, often because the majority of their revenue is created over the Christmas period.

As a local to Richmond, it was only natural that Jimmy Perry should both direct and write the script. By the mid-1980s, his connection to theatre stretched back over 30 years. As a young actor, he’d been a member of the Repertory Company under the Direction of Alan Miles and Freddie Piffard. It was also something of a nostalgic return for Peter who had also been a member of the same company, but much later than Perry.

This would be the 15^th panto that he would create in his career, and with such an illustrious cast to do it justice, it was a certainty that it would give the packed houses two-and-a-half hours of fun.

Fun Facts

• Peter appeared as the Sherriff in all 76 performances of the show.
• His first pantomime appearance was in ‘Aladdin’ at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, over Christmas and New Year 1984/85, playing the wicked Abanaza. It was there that Producer, Duncan Weldon, had seen him and asked him to appear in this star-studded as the equally wicked Sherriff of Nottingham.
• As was his way, Peter re-wrote several pieces of his character’s dialogue, one of which included a reference to Jason King.

Notes: [1]. Jimmy Perry wrote numerous classic British TV comedies during his career, including: ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’, ‘Hi-De-Hi’ and ‘Dad’s Army’.