Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has named the company for Robin Hood, its family pantomime this Christmas, which opens on 18 November and runs to 2 January 2027. Folarin Akinmade takes the title role, with Lauren Chinery beside him as Cyril the Squirrel.
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has announced the full cast for Robin Hood, the mainstage pantomime that opens on 18 November and runs to 2 January 2027. Press night is on Saturday 21 November 2026 at 6:30pm, and tickets are on sale now from £14.70.
Folarin Akinmade plays the outlaw himself. He was Gimli in The Lord of The Rings: A Musical Tale at the Watermill Theatre in 2023, and appeared in Perfect Show For Rachel at the Barbican Centre in 2024 and on its UK tour in 2025 and 2026. Lauren Chinery returns to Hornchurch as sidekick Cyril the Squirrel, after playing Pat the Cow in last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk and Buttons in Cinderella in 2024.
They are joined by Killian Macardle (The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Mischief Theatre) as dame Nanny Molly Coddle, Verity Bajoria (Cockfosters, Southwark Playhouse) as Maid Marian, and Tom Vercnocke (Buddy Holly & the Cricketers, UK tour) as the Sheriff of Havering. Elizabeth Ellen (MakeBeth, Leeds Playhouse and Chichester Festival Theatre) plays Ellen-a-Dale and Perry Meadowcroft (Caroline! A New Musical, national tour) plays Little John, both covering principal roles as well. Two more returning Hornchurch performers complete the company: Georgia Leila Stoller as Dave the Intern and Megan Ashley as Tucky, who doubles as the show’s musical director on stage.
The script comes from Kate Lovell and James Watson, writing together again after Jack and the Beanstalk last Christmas, with original music and lyrics by Andrew Linham, who is also musical director. Kash Arshad directs, with a design by Elizabeth Wright, choreography by Tara Young, lighting by Adam Foley, sound by Emily Drohan and costume supervision by Rachel Dingle.
The setting is local: Robin and his Merry Band take to the Forest of Havering, with a brave Maid Marian leading the charge against a greedy Sheriff, and the outlaws get by on daring tricks, quick thinking and a good deal of help from the audience.
Director Kash Arshad said, “This is a wonderful cast, we have found not only the crème de la crème of actor musician talent, both locally and nationally, they are all joyful, silly, hilarious and have that all important pantomime sparkle that makes a Hornchurch Panto. They will bring so much fun and laughter and delight to the much-loved story of Robin Hood. Audiences are in for a real treat.”
The pantomime runs 140 minutes including an interval and is suitable for all ages. The first three performances, 18-20 November, are at 6:30pm, with two shows on Saturday 21 November at 2:00pm and 6:30pm; later dates and times vary.
Access performances are spread through the run. There is a BSL-interpreted performance on 28 November at 6:30pm, with two more on 9 December at 6:30pm and 28 December at 2:00pm. The audio-described performance is on 28 November at 2:00pm, with a touch tour at 12:30pm beforehand, and the captioned performance is on 15 December at 6:30pm. A dementia-friendly performance on 17 December at 1:00pm is followed by a relaxed, SEN-friendly performance at 5:30pm the same day.
Robin Hood runs at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, on Billet Lane, from Wednesday 18 November 2026 to Saturday 2 January 2027, with press night on Saturday 21 November. Tickets are £14.70 to £36.70. The production is sponsored by McDonald’s Romford, and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is supported by Arts Council England.
