Arts & Entertainment

Robin Hood Tale, Comedy On Stage in Plant City

Director Tyler Hollis talks about Plant City Entertainment's current production, "The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood."

 

Tyler Hollis, with his wife, Angela, are directors of this month's Plant City Entertainment production of The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, on stage at the Plant City Entertainment Theatre at 101 North Thomas Street.

The show, written by Mary Lynn Dobson, stars Domonic Botto (Robin Hood), Pamela Cawley (Maid Marion), Joe Osborn (Sheriff of Nottingham), Ben Rawnsley (Evil Prince John) and Derek Abbott, as the narrator known as "Town's Guy."

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Remaining show dates are May 9-11. The curtain rises at 8 p.m. Ticket prices are $14 for general admission, $12 for seniors and students (through grade 12) and $10 for Plant City Entertainment members and for theatre attendees in groups of 10 or more.

The following Patch Talk interview was conducted May 6 with Tyler Hollis.

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Brandon Patch: Tell us about the show.

  • Tyler Hollis: It's an incredibly funny take on the Robin Hood tale, as if Monty Python got together with Mel Brooks and wrote the story of Robin Hood.

Brandon Patch: What's Robin Hood like in this show.

  • Tyler Hollis: Robin Hood is the loveable, pompous, egotistical hero. The Merry Men basically follow him around like a group of loveable lap dogs with the combined IQ equal to their number, which is five.

Brandon Patch: And the tale?

  • Tyler Hollis: The Merry Men are there to assist Robin Hood in his mission to rob from the rich to give to the poor. In his travels, Robin Hood meets the loveable Maid Marion and they must not only rescue her but all of England from the Sheriff of Nottingham and the Evil Prince John.

Brandon Patch: So, pretty much what you would expect from the Robin Hood story.

  • Tyler Hollis: Yes. But in our version it's a bowling tournament that decides the fate of the maid and the populace.

Brandon Patch: Tell us about your cast.

  • Tyler Hollis: We have approximately 18 actors in the cast, ranging in age from the 60's on down to the stage premier of my four-year-old son, Tyson. He'll be five in July. He has a little walk-on part in the beginning of the show and we have him listed in the program as, "Cute Kid."

Brandon Patch: So, it's a family affair! Your little one since birth has been watching you and his mom on stage and behind the scenes.

  • Tyler Hollis: He's still at that age where he's having a lot of fun but I don't think he quite grasps the concept he's in the play. He walks across the stage and the first question he asks when he gets off stage is, "Did I do good?"

Brandon Patch: I understand you and your wife both had walk-on parts opening weekend.

  • Tyler Hollis: We had an actor who knew in advance that his daughter was in another show, and it was a one-shot deal. So Friday night, opening night (May 3), I filled in for that actor. On Saturday night, we had an actor who at the last minute wasn't able to come to the theater, so my wife filled in for her.

Brandon Patch: How did the opening weekend go?

  • Tyler Hollis: It was exemplary. It was odd. We actually had more people for the Sunday matinee than we did for the evening performances. But all the audiences were great. There's quite a bit of audience participation and all the audiences were laughing.

Brandon Patch: For tough times, it's a good show.

  • Tyler Hollis: Plant City Entertainment is gearing up for Les Miserables in the summer. That's a heavy, dramatic piece, so we wanted to do something light-hearted and fun leading into it.

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Visit Plant City Entertainment online.


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