The Lady of Sherwood

The story

The classic Robin Hood story usually ends with King Richard returning to England, deposing John, and setting everything straight. The Lady of Sherwood picks up where Robin Hood, who is now a ghost, laughs at the absurdity of that story. He explains that, in reality, not only was Richard as bad of a king as John, but Richard sent an army to invade the Sherwood and wipe out Robin Hood and all of his men.

It's now a decade or two later, and the "merry women" have carried on the legacy of their men. Aspen (Robin and Marian's daughter) is just beginning to fill her father's shoes by making her first swashbuckling appearance in Nottingham. She defies the new sheriff (Hawk, the old sheriff's son), the king’s new taxes, and states her intention to avenge her father be deposing Richard and seeing that no one takes his place. Aspen and her friends muse about a time in England, before the Norman invasion, when there were no kings. But Aspen is different from her father in a major way: she's a terrible archer and fighter. Marian, not wanting to lose her remaining family member, forbade Aspen to learn the arts of war. Naturally, there's tension between the two.

Meanwhile the daughter of Will Scarlet (the self-proclaimed "Lady Scarlet"), who is among the oldest of the second generation of the Sherwood and holds the office of "chief yeoman" (i.e. the new Robin Hood) has a similar vision to Aspen. For years she's been enlisting peasants and gaining favor with rebellious lords, organizing a revolt against the crown, and the time is almost ripe for the attack. However, her vision has one significant difference from Aspen's: Scarlet wants to be England's new queen. She believes utopia will follow as she vengeance against justice against the rich and justice for the poor. Aspen is skeptical and fears that Scarlet will become yet another tyrant.

After Aspen's public appearance in Nottingham, Hawk, fearing that it's time to "cleanse the Sherwood" again, consults with King Richard and is able to procure five-hundred men for the task. But Hawk is not bloodthirsty. He seeks out Aspen and warns her about his army, begging her to tell her fellow bandits to swear fealty to the crown to avoid another blood bath. As the two contend (almost flirtatious), it's obvious to Aspen's friends that there's a spark between them. Aspen thanks Hawk for the warming and, in turn, warns him about Scarlet's plans for revolution. She and her friends then force Hawk to join them in the Sherwood for dinner and entertainment before robbing him (having learned this trick from her father). That evening, Aspen and Hawk part with a growing love-hate relationship. They fantasize about a new country that could be big enough for both of them.

When Aspen returns to her forest home, she's taken captive by Scarlet's women. Marian and her friends are also being held at sword-point. Scarlet learned from her spy that Aspen betrayed their plans to Hawk. Thus Scarlet orders for the attack on Nottingham castle (where Richard is staying) the very next morning (before Hawk can form a counter-strike). While Aspen is left behind, Scarlet leads an impressive mob. Due to treachery from the inside of the castle (part of Scarlet's plan), the mob is able to walk right through Hawk's army and take Richard by force.

By the time Aspen escapes from her captors and makes it to the castle, Scarlet has already been declared queen, and Richard has been locked in a tower. As Scarlet speaks of a new age of equality, Aspen, sensing that Scarlet is being used as a puppet, declares to the crowd, "Can't you see you're being deceived? This will not end as she says." Scarlet declares Aspen a traitor and orders her arrest. Aspen and her friends escape. Hawk, now forced to bow to Scarlet, looks wistfully to the Sherwood.

Of course, Scarlet's reign turns out to be far more complicated than she envisioned. In attempting to systematically "steal from the rich and give to the poor", she finds that the peasants are never satisfied, the lords resentful, and the coffers are drying up quickly. To sustain it all, she has to raise taxes even higher than John or Richard did. Desperate for help, she turns to Hawk and tries to seduce him into joining her as king. Hawk refuses, insisting that he's needed elsewhere. He begs Scarlet to let him seek out Aspen in order to supposedly quell her rebellion. Scarlet becomes suspicious that Hawk is in league with Aspen (or worse, has feelings for her), especially after she discovers a scroll on his person with ideas about limiting the powers of kings (the first draft of the Magna Carta, inspired by Hawk’s brainstorming of a new country with Aspen). Scarlet has Hawk locked in the tower.

Scarlet believes that Richard has more money that he's hiding from Aspen. She summons a torturer for the purpose of loosening Richard's tongue and breaking the resolve of Hawk. The torturer turns out to be Aspen in disguise, who helps Richard and Hawk escape (but not before having fun with her disguise and coercing Hawk into confessing his feelings for her). The rescue party escapes to the forest, where Hawk and Richard are introduced to the "Nation of Sherwood". Aspen and her friends have been recruiting disaffected people from Nottingham and forming a resistance to Scarlet’s regime. In this "nation", there are no leaders, but everyone must swear to follow the code of chivalry and protect one another. It's a joyful place, though it's soon darkened by the news that Scarlet's army (Hawk's former army) has tracked them down and is camping nearby.

Hawk and Aspen's friends train everyone in combat as they get psyched for battle. When everyone else has gone to sleep, Hawk and Aspen confess their love for each other and talk more about the new world they envision. But the morrow still looks dismal, especially when news comes that one of Aspen's best friends has been kidnapped by the army. After Hawk goes down for the night, Aspen faces the dark night of her soul. She's comforted by Marian and the ghost of her father. Her parents express their confidence in her to lead the people. They place Robin's famous feathered cap on her head as she's given "the mantle of the Robin Hood".

The next morning, Scarlet and a small army invade the Sherwood (with many more troops surrounding the forest). Those on Aspen's side boldly march forth to meet them. An unexpected battle of wits ensues, in which Aspen runs intellectual circles around Scarlet, sewing doubt in the minds of her followers, and painting the absurdity of the situation. Scarlet order’s her army to attack. But to Scarlet’s chagrin, the captain of the attack orders the knights to retreat and never look back. The captain takes off her helmet, revealing that she’s Aspen’s friend.

With the tides turning, many people defect to Aspen's side, especially when King Richard comes out from hiding. Richard has been touched by the spirit of the Sherwood. He explains that he never intended for Robin Hood and his men to have been killed. He had been at Jerusalem at the time and had heard inflammatory reports from his lords about the bandits of Sherwood. He had only been trying to keep the peace. He swears that he will be a better king then before, and eventually even Aspen kneels before him.

At this, Scarlet's right-hand woman, loathing the idea of Richard returning to power, shoots an Arrow at Richard, shouting, "You killed my father and brothers." A dying Richard doesn't protest. In fact, he commends this woman for her bravery and orders that she be paid ten shillings. When Richard dies, he has a warm reunion with Robin Hood.

Immediately a cloaked man enters the forest, surrounded by knights. This man has been seen several times throughout the play giving money to Scarlet. He reveals himself as Prince John. He pays Richard's assassin much more than ten shillings and thanks Scarlet for carrying out his plan. Scarlet didn't realize how much she was being used. John is the true commander of the army, and this situation has become the perfect opportunity for him to regain the kingdom. As John takes the crown and throws Scarlet aside, he says that he will now finish what Richard began, putting an end to the bandits of Sherwood forever. But the ghosts of Richard and Robin Hood will have none of this. They scare him out of the forest. As he runs, John concedes, saying, "You stay in your country, I'll stay in mine."

The friends of Sherwood realize that they failed to save England. Hawk says to Aspen, "but you saved me." They muse that while tyranny may never end in their lifetimes, they can always find peace in the nation of Sherwood, which isn't so much a place as a belief. Robin Hood finishes the play by expressing his confidence in the wonderful things his children (his true legacy) are going to accomplish as Aspen and Hawk resolve to bring their revolutionary charter into reality.

Why bring it to your stage?

A Robin Hood musical with adventure, romance, and active roles for student performers.

• Good for casts with movement and stage-combat interest
• Expandable ensemble for outlaws, villagers, and court figures
• Built around active character stakes

Get to know the show

Romantic and adventurous musical theatre numbers with featured solos and ensemble work.

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