Sussex

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobinEnsemble.jpg" alt="Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82372" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobinEnsemble.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobinEnsemble-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobinEnsemble-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobinEnsemble-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



A cute romance and a brazen baddie, a Dame dressed in a figure-hugging high-vis gown and Pink Pony Club riffs, plus slick dance routines, belting songs and enough guffaws to stuff the whole family&#8217;s stockings: Robin Hood&nbsp;at The Capitol delivers all this and more with bells on. Or should that be disco glitter balls?&nbsp;



The story of a folk hero who’s out to pilfer from the rich to give to the poor might seem a tricky one to pull off in the wake of Rachel Reeve’s budget but director Bobby Delaney&#8217;s panto rises to the challenge with sequinned gusto and abundant equal-opportunities gags.&nbsp;



The setting is Horshingham, a rustic idyll of cobbled streets and pastel-hued prettiness, complete with a castle – basically a shoe-in for Muddy’s Best Places to Live series, if it were real. But look out, here comes the Sheriff. Boo!&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoSheriffGuy.jpg" alt="Gina Murray in Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82371" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoSheriffGuy.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoSheriffGuy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoSheriffGuy-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoSheriffGuy-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



It&#8217;s the villainous Sheriff – or the ‘She-riff’ as its star, <a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/whats-on/muddy-meets-gina-murray-panto-villain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gina Murray</a>, styles herself – who drives this irresistibly potty plot, scheming to wed her foppish son, Guy of Gisbourne, off to Maid Marian. Sweet-faced Marian just happens to have inherited the deeds to nearby Sherwood Forest, which the Sheriff is intent on felling in order to throw up some flashy apartments.&nbsp;



Murray has a CV that’s almost as glittery as her get-up, including roles in West End shows from&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;to&nbsp;The Full Monty, and screen credits in the likes of&nbsp;Doctors&nbsp;and&nbsp;Eastenders. This is her first turn as a panto baddie but she plays it like she was made for it, rocking onto the stage and starting as she means to go on by inflicting a volley of rent hikes.&nbsp;



The costumes here are all-round terrific but the Sheriff’s wardrobe channels a whole new aesthetic: panto power dressing.&nbsp;“You’re conflicted! You hate me and you love me”, she declares at one point, encapsulating the thrill of panto skullduggery.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobin.jpg" alt="Mark Irwin in Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82367" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobin.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobin-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobin-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoRobin-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The disruptor here is of course Robin Hood, played by twinkly-eyed Irish tenor Mark Irwin, whose theatre credits include Cats (International Tour), The Commitments (Palace Theatre) and The Choir of Man. He bursts into the storyline with a belter of a song, and makes crushed velvet leggings look way better than they ought. He’s already caught the eye of Maid Marian, a role to which West End performer Georgia Bradshaw brings just the right combo of innocence and pluck, not to be mention a showstopping voice. Soon, he’s also won over Dame Daphne du Plop (the ‘p’ is silent) and her son, Little John. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoDame.jpg" alt="James Camp and Jack North in Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82368" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoDame.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoDame-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoDame-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoDame-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



They’re played respectively by panto veteran James Camp and Jack North, whose range spans classical theatre to musicals, and a lot of the classic panto dynamism here derives from their double act – including a scene involving a pedal-powered ice cream maker which messily malfunctions, much to the audience’s glee. When Muddy was there, that included folk sitting on the front row, who got a liberal dolloping (yes, even the Chairman of Horsham District Council). That said, they’re given a run for their money by a downright virtuosic tongue-twisting skit between the Sheriff and Guy, played by Will Jennings. 



One of the challenges of panto is keeping the entire audience laughing, from kids to grandparents. The jokes come thick and fast, haring from national politics to local rivalries, TikTok memes to royalty. It gets seriously saucy in places, too, although nervous glances confirmed that anything racy was sailing far over the heads of the tweens in Muddy’s party.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoWall2.jpg" alt="Mark Irwin, Georgia Bradshaw and Will Jennings in Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82373" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoWall2.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoWall2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoWall2-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoWall2-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



There was plenty for that age group and younger, too, including slapstick that had us all roaring with laughter. For instance, a love song that ought to have been a duet between Maid Marian and Robin, perched on a wall, became a trio when Guy pitched up, and the three made extensive use of a crashmat as they took it in turns to shove each other off. Sherwood also has a tree that snatches items of clothing, strip-poker-style, from any fibber who leans against it, injecting a &#8216;how-far-will-they-go?&#8217; frisson. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/pantoSheriff.jpg" alt="Gina Murray and Katie Pritchard in Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82366" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/pantoSheriff.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/pantoSheriff-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/pantoSheriff-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/pantoSheriff-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Meanwhile, the Sheriff thinks she’s got Friar Tuck in her pocket – little does she know&#8230; The show doubles down on its madcap mischief after the interval, with a bravura disco medley from cassock-clad Katie Pritchard, who’s won comedy awards as well as roles in musicals and pantos, and reveals her character’s decidedly spicy past. Helped by a sparkly ensemble (including male dancers with red sequinned capes), it’s the beating heart of a propulsive second half, and had the audience seat-bopping and clapping along.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



A special mention also goes to Fairy Evergreen, played by Emma Lindars, who periodically sails across the stage to deliver some powerhouse ballads as well as nifty plot recaps from a mossy rock, and whose voice shines even in this company. By the show’s end, Robin Hood’s various storylines have been neatly tied up in a Christmassy bow – there’s even a bonus extra romance thrown in, adding a sprinkle of feelgood vibes to the joyously daft comedy and unstoppable vitality that defines this five-star extravaganza. 



The finale had the audience on their feet but Muddy for one had been wanting to get up and dance ever since Friar Tuck turned Horshingham’s castle into Sussex’s most hopping nightspot.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoFairy-1000x667.jpg" alt="Emma Lindars in Robin Hood panto at The Capitol, Horsham, Sussex" class="wp-image-82370" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoFairy-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoFairy-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoFairy-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2025/12/PantoFairy.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



Good for:&nbsp;Adults and kids of all ages. Especially disco divas, folk who like their funnies with a dollop of sauce, and anyone whose festive spirit is flagging.&nbsp;



Not for:&nbsp;If sequin-spangled silliness isn’t your thing, you’re best off sitting panto season out. Also, if the idea of being hauled up on stage petrifies you, avoid the front row!&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.thecapitolhorsham.com/events/robin-hood/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robin Hood is at The Capitol in Horsham</a> until 4 Jan.&nbsp;



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Panto review: Robin Hood at The Capitol, Horsham

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