Prince seeks revenge in 'Robin Hood'

The story of "Robin Hood" has been told as a straight drama and as a comedy.

The Magic Theatre production of "Robin Hood 2: The Revenge of Prince John," is an example of the latter. The play starts Saturday.

As the subtitle suggests, this "Robin Hood" story is a sequel.

"It still follows the same plot of 'Robin Hood,' with Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," said John Trent, the play's writer and director.

Because of this, all the elements of the "Robin Hood" story are intact: Robin (played by Jeremy Trent) is an outlaw in medieval England. He lives in Sherwood Forest with his band of fellow outlaws, known as "Merry Men."

Though he lives in the forest, the evil Sheriff of Nottingham (Thomas Hanns Jr.) seeks to capture Robin and the Merry Men.

In "Robin Hood 2: The Revenge of Prince John," the story focuses more heavily on Prince John (Chris Collier), who seeks vengeance for his earlier defeat, which was chronicled in "Robin Hood."

"I enjoy the story of 'Robin Hood,'" Trent said. "(This story) has more detail about Robin Hood and his adventures. In this, Prince John wants to take control of Robin Hood."

Despite Prince John being the villain of the play, he is portrayed as a comedic figure and not an evil one.

"Prince John thinks he's smarter than everybody, but he's really not," Trent said. "So there's a lot of slapstick comedy."

Rounding out the cast of "Robin Hood 2: The Revenge of Prince John" are Davey Eaves as Little John, Kathryn Martinez as Maid Marian, Avery Brooks as Friar Tuck, Jeff Graham as John, Brandon Graham as Billy, Courtney Williams as Sammy, Cristina Louk as the Lady in Waiting and Kevin Trent as the Jester.

"The adventure of Robin Hood is timeless," Trent said. "But (the play) is a farce, with a lot of comedy, dancing and fun stuff."