The Legend of Robin Hood Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds pantomime exceeds expectations

With only a handful of pantomime performances left the Theatre Royal, in Bury St Edmunds, is reflecting on a successful season.

The Legend of Robin Hood has already welcomed more than 24,000 audience members –including 48 schools bookings – which ‘exceeded our expectations’, according to the theatre.

Julie Cole, the theatre’s head of marketing and sales, said: “After postponing Cinderella for a year and Covid still very much being around last year I think we all needed this panto more than ever and it hasn’t disappointed.

“The feedback has been amazing – 96 per cent of audiences gave it four or five stars.

“There have been so many highlights. Most come from the audience reactions to what they see on stage, this ranges from a class of reception children coming to the theatre for the first time and seeing their first panto to the unsuspecting stooges in the front rows who find themselves the object of the dame’s affections.

“We’ve been delighted to welcome so many community groups to the pantomime this year, which is always a special joy – these include Suffolk Young Carers, St Nicholas Hospice Care, Gee Wizz families and some of the local Ukrainian families.”

Tickets for the Taylor Wimpey-sponsored panto are still available – although numbers are limited and the Saturday matinée show is sold out. Book at www.theatreroyal.org

Sunday’s performances are not on public sale as they have been purchased by David Mulley, of Anglia Suspended Ceilings, and gifted to NHS staff at West Suffolk Hospital.

Meanwhile, the Theatre Royal has also celebrated a great first run of Where’s Santa? – an immersive festive experience for youngsters aged two-seven held in the arc Shopping Centre.

It was the first time the theatre had offered the experience, which saw 1,500 tickets sold over 148 performances.

“We are really pleased with how it went,” said Julie. “The concept was that it was a Christmas performance for younger children who are perhaps too little to enjoy the pantomime just yet. It was designed to be a theatrical twist on meeting Santa.

“The feedback was really good, with one visitor saying ‘it brought Christmas alive for my three-year-old and a twinkle of magic for me, seeing it through his eyes.”

The theatre, which is sponsored by Jaynic, hopes to repeat the experience for the 2023 festive season.