←Recommendations of GOODFELLOW, ROBIN HOOD

The characters in this play are as historically accurate as they are magical! This is the smart play your theatre has been looking to produce, with a healthy sized cast, musical interludes and a lot of fun and action! Very smart way to attack the myth of Robin Hood through the eyes of those who shaped and created it.

A charming reimagining of the myth of Robin Hood in the context of the political and social turmoil of the age of the imaginative young writer composing the tale. This is a rich and vivid narrative told with vital theatricality.

Fans know that Nora Louise Syran is too imaginative to simply retell the story of Robin Hood, instead, her GOODFELLOW, ROBIN HOOD is a story about how Elinor, a young woman educated in a convent, attempts to assemble the disparate folktales and ballads into a cohesive story, even as she finds parallels in her own life and in the political life of 14th century England wracked by the Peasants' Revolt against Richard II's reign. Great metatheatricality!

Nora Louise Syran is an artist’s artist, and a storyteller’s storyteller. With trademark historical rigor and impeccable craft, Syran adds GOODFELLOW, ROBIN HOOD to the canon of stories about the famed charming rogue, while also engaging powerfully with questions all writers must engage with: why do we tell (and retell) stories? How can stories—folkloric, fictional, and otherwise—help us deal with our present challenges and imagine future solutions? Read this play, and find out. Excellent work!

Leave it to Nora to reveal a unique sliver of history from a unique point of view! This carefully researched narrative vacillates between real life and the tales of Robin Hood, providing roles for a versatile troop of performers. Rich in history and atmosphere, the framing and structure had me hooked! In a clever twist, the Merry Men aren't men at all, allowing girls to shine in some of the most compelling and comedic roles in the play (making it a solid choice for female-heavy drama programs).

Set in a time of great change, the play follows Eleanor as she navigates life and love in 14th Century England. She draws upon stories of old to help process the trials and tribulations of her life. The show pairs historic songs, drama, comedy, variable cast sizes, and the unique ability to stage it as simply or elaborately as the production company desires. Like all of Nora's work, it's a rich historical and accessible story that any contemporary theater goer will enjoy. I very much enjoyed it.