Once you’ve booked Ashley Banjo and Diversity to appear in panto, the number of potential stories that can be told must necessarily be rather limited…
For those who are unaware of whom I’m speaking, Diversity are a multi-award-winning street dance troupe formed in 2007, who in 2009, under the leadership of their creative force and choreographer Ashley Banjo, beat Susan Boyle (yes, that Susan Boyle) to win ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
According to Wikipedia, there are 15 members of Diversity, including the named individuals (more of whom later), so I’m more than a little surprised to discover they’ve already appeared in productions of Snow White, Dick Whittington, Aladdin, and at least one previous production of Robin Hood—the show for which they’re now the main selling point at the New Wimbledon Theatre until the 4th of January 2026, and for which they seem a ready-made fit.
I have to admit Diversity had only tangentially crossed my radar, but having sat through Robin Hood – The Magical Panto Adventure, you can now count me a convert.
They are genuinely incredible, immaculately drilled athletes at whose flawless athleticism I can only sit back and wonder… which is just as well, as what’s going on elsewhere needs their undoubted star power to keep it going, which I’ll get to later.
Leading Diversity is the aforementioned Ashley Banjo as Robin Hood, with his brother, the equally brawny Jordan Banjo, as Little John, and the slightly less brawny but no less athletic, muscular, and likeable Perri Kiely as one of the merry men. All three radiate an easy natural charm that is a delight to watch.
The other named roles are Pete Firmin, the magician, as Will Scarlett; Steve Arnott as a powerfully evil baddie, the Sheriff of Nottingham; Lauren Hampton as a suitably damsel-like Maid Marion; and Amelia Walker as the Spirit of Sherwood.
The fact that in the final reckoning I genuinely did have a great evening out is not for the cast’s want of trying; they are all fully committed to the piece and are dancing and singing their hearts out. But in truth, they’re hobbled by some very lacklustre material in the form of Harry Michaels’ lame script, which contains very little jeopardy and bends over so far to try not to offend anyone that it’s completely anodyne.
Add to that the fact that there’s very little original music or song (the Act Two opener is “Me Ol’ Bamboo” from Mary Poppins, reworded as “Me Ol’ Longbow,” which isn’t even stressed correctly…) and it makes you yearn for the days when panto writers would just interpolate a Kylie song…
I’ll be frank: I’d have enjoyed this show a lot more with original songs. Go and hire a composer. There are plenty out there who can write bespoke, funny, entertaining numbers.
There’s one very notable exception, and that’s “If I Were Not the Man I Am” in Act Two, which I think may be an old Crazy Gang routine from the 1940s (though I can’t find it online, so maybe not), and which provides the much-needed physical comedy that we miss by inexplicably having no dame in this panto… what’s panto without a dame?
Anyway, go for Diversity and you won’t be disappointed.
Oh, and one last shout-out to Eleanor Bye, Tafari Edwards, Ethan Fairclough, Regan Garcia, Lilly Hesselden, Becky Pennant, Jessica Pickles, and Mathew Rees, who play all the other parts—people of Nottingham, guards, ghosts (don’t ask), etc.—many of whom are straight out of Laine Theatre Arts. You did great, guys. In other circumstances you’d have been the stars of the show. Still, you have to start somewhere.
Director: Ed Curtis
Book: Harry Michaels with additional material by Peter Firman
Music, & Lyrics: Various
Cast includes: Ashley Banjo & Diversity, Pete Firman, Steve Arnott, Lauran Hampton, Amelia Walker and full supporting cast.
Until: 4th January 2026
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes with 1 x 20 minute interval
Photo by Paul Coltas