It's difficult to say which members of the audience had a better time at Olympia Family Theater's production of The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood. Written by Mary Lynn Dobson, the play follows the basic Robin Hood plot but with the addition of some creative license has been described as "Monty Python for kids." The performance was around 90 minutes with an intermission and the pacing was so quick that even the youngest theatergoer did not have a chance to get bored or antsy. That, and the audience participation, resulted in howls of laughter from both the kids and the adults. 

One of the challenges of taking young children to the theater is educating them on differences between television - which they are already familiar - and a stage performance. Not only is the expected etiquette different but also transitions between scenes aren't quite what a child may be used to. Brilliantly (and thankfully), Dobson's characters break the "Fourth Wall" to educate the audience on the many different theatrical conventions used such as transitions, lighting changes and even the use of the technical director. These moments never seemed forced or belabored but instead added more humor to the play.

Instead of wrapping up the whole story with a neat little moral, there were many scattered throughout. One of the best morals was, "Just because someone is popular, doesn't mean they can order people around." The play didn't seem to be an anti-bullying PSA or an overt lesson in good triumphing over evil, though that was mentioned. Humility - or the lack of - came up multiple times but was treated so lightheartedly; it was met with a chuckle and thus able to sink in effectively.

The dialogue was witty and included jokes for the adults without alienating - or being inappropriate for - the kids. Probably the most hilarious bits of dialogue were the insults/curses hurled by Lady Marion, expertly played by Ingrid Goebel. "May you all have split ends" and "May hangnails create anarchy between your fingers and toes" were two of the many abuses flung at Prince John (Ryan Holmberg) and the Sheriff of Nottingham (Scott Douglas). It was very refreshing to hear intelligent and creative use of insults instead of the usual name-calling children are derided for using.

The entire cast was captivating, witty and whimsical. Robin Hood (Dennis Worrell) was charming, brave, and completely full of himself. The Merry Men (not to be confused with "married men") added silliness with slapstick and bravery that far exceeded their intelligence. Marion's Lady in Waiting (Christine Goode) was superbly sassy while the Town's Guy (Chris Cantrell) was a terrific straight man to the rest of the absurdity on stage. Holmberg's Prince John made it fun to boo the bad guy and Douglas' Sheriff was mean enough that the audience feared for Robin Hood's ability to triumph.

Olympia Family Theater suggests the play will be "most enjoyed by those 8 and up" but there were kids much younger who were enthralled and entertained. The stamp of approval came from a 2-and-a-half-year-old audience member who proclaimed, "That was a good story" and "That was a good song." 

OLYMPIA FAMILY THEATER, THE SOMEWHAT TRUE TALE OF ROBIN HOOD, THROUGH APRIL 14, 7 P.M. THURSDAY-FRIDAY, 1 P.M. SATURDAY-SUNDAY, $12-$19, WASHINGTON CENTER, 512 WASHINGTON ST. SE, OLYMPIA, 360.753.8586