Press release from Montford Park Players:
Montford Park Players, an Asheville theatrical tradition, is proud announce their upcoming production of the locally-penned Robin Hood, the Legend of Sherwood. All performances will be held at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre at 92 Gay Street in the heart of Asheville’s historic Montford District, from July 6th through August 4th on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7:30pm. This performance like ALL of Montford Park Players’ shows will be absolutely FREE to attend.
The show will contain all swordplay, romance and humor we’ve come to expect from film and book versions of the legend over the years. Families are most welcome to this show and kids, in particular, will be enthralled with all of the action.
Director Michael Lilly, is a first-time director at Montford, despite helming productions all over Western North Carolina. In his career, Lilly has staged over 150 different shows, but is thrilled to be directing this show, due to a particular love of the source material. “Every time another Super Hero movie comes out,” says Lilly, “it’s just another version of Robin Hood.”
He continues, “The social injustice that is still rampant in our world today, the economic inequality and the isolation that poverty brings to so many of our fellow humans requires us all to take up arms and open our hearts and continue to fight the good fight. Nothing ever has or will embody this message better than the story of Robin of Locksley.”
Montford Park Players has never performed Robin Hood before, and, in fact, it may be the first, full outdoor staging of the story in play form. Says Director Lilly, “The Hazel Robinson is the perfect venue for it. And just like the epic films, there is a cast of thousands! Themes from the Academy Award winning score will be used, as well as music of the period performed live.”
Robin Hood will be played by local actor, Ryan Martin, with an all-star cast of locals at his side: Julianne Arnall as Maid Marian, George Heard as Friar Tuck, Travis Kelley as Little John and David Mycoff as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham. In all, over thirty talented actors will take the stage to make this show as epic as everyone expects.
Montford Park Players, has been presenting Shakespeare and other classical works to the Asheville community since 1973, and has since grown to be one of Western North Carolina’s most beloved and well-known cultural attractions.
For more information or to reserve seats, go to montfordparkplayers.org, or call at (828) 254-5146.
Mr. Lilly says, “in fact, it may be the first, full outdoor staging of the story in play form.”
Perhaps he means “the first, full outdoor staging of the story in play form at the Hazel Robinson theatre in Asheville.”
Outdoor productions elsewhere are numerous. Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston performed it in 2011. Wlliamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts performed an outdoor “Robin Hood” in 2014. It’s been done outdoors at many locations in England, including the Brighton Open Air Theatre, Pentilie Castle and Estate, Richmond Castle, and Wollaton Hall, Nottingham.
As one of the authors, I would love it if all those locations had produced THIS show. Sadly, they have not. This is, indeed , the first out door production of this show.