Stealing scenes, winning hearts and minds

Cast members of Robin Hood by the Beijing Playhouse are of different backgrounds, nationalities and ages. Photo provided to China Daily

The classic tale of Robin Hood and his merry men is well-known around the world. But many may not have ever seen it like this: The characters in Robin Hood, instead of eating steak and eggs, chow down on baozi (Chinese steamed buns) and stinky tofu (originally a Chinese snack made of fermented tofu); and the heroic outlaw lives in the city of Tianjin, rather than inhabiting the historic forests of England. Furthermore, the humor shifts from language to physical humor.

Everything in this new version of the Robin Hood musical comedy, which will be staged from Dec 5 to 21 and is produced by Beijing Playhouse, is a zany twist on the classic story.

"It is not your grandmother's traditional Robin Hood," says Chris Verrill, 49, founder and executive director of Beijing Playhouse, the largest locally produced Broadway-style English theater established in 2006 in Beijing.

The 100 cast and crew members in the show are of different countries and work at different jobs. Playing the title role is 23-year-old Lucas Pinoli, who joined Beijing Playhouse in late September.

Born in Hong Kong and living in Beijing since he was 4, Pinoli moved to the United States for college. A few months ago, he moved back to China after graduating and works in a film company in Beijing.

Thanks to being involved in various choirs at his school, Pinoli has gained a lot of experience on stage and in front of the camera. With a great interest in acting, he auditioned for Robin Hood.

"(Now) I usually walk around pretending like I am an English man who indulges in tightly fitted apparel and has an overzealous attitude toward social inequality," Pinoli says. "Physically, I work out whenever I have time and fix my posture to something that would scream confidence. It's fun, and it gets me prepared mentally."

Verrill says it usually takes 18 months to do a Beijing Playhouse show. In summer 2013, the artistic board of Beijing Playhouse started finalizing the script, securing partners and recruiting crew members.

"First, we select and then pay for the performance license of professionally written scripts from New York and London. Then we direct them in such a way that transcends language and is enjoyable across cultures," says Verrill.

With an early successful Internet business in the US, Verrill has worked as a director and actor during the last 25 years. He moved to Beijing from San Francisco in 2005 and took a job as a creator, original producer and co-anchor at China Radio International before he decided to launch a theater company.