When production faced issues, American writer Burt Shevelove was called on to help fix the book.

The piece, a spoof of the character and legend of Robin Hood, was a disastrous box-office failure and cost Bart his personal fortune.

opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End on 20 December 1965 and closed on 29 January 1966 after just 43 performances, receiving scathing reviews and playing to mostly empty houses.

[1] Bart produced it with Bernard Delfont and John Bryan, and Joan Littlewood directed but quit before it opened.

[3] In 2008, the Estate of Lionel Bart commissioned Julian Woolford to write a new book for the musical which was performed in 2013 at Guildford School of Acting.

Robin Hood and his Merry Men attempt to break into Nottingham Castle, in a variety of preposterous disguises, in order to prevent a marriage between the nymphomaniac "court tart" Delphina and the hairy Scots laird Roger the Ugly, arranged for the purpose of securing the loan of Scottish troops for bad Prince John.

He falls in love with Delphina whilst Maid Marion helps Robin find his missing 'twang' before King Richard returns to re-establish order.

Littlewood, the choreographer Paddy Stone, the designer Oliver Messel, and the writers failed to work together.

[3] On opening night, the musical director, Ken Moule, collapsed of exhaustion and still had failed to orchestrate the second act.

The critics noted the lack of heroics and the pseudo-pantomime delivery,[11] although there were some effective musical sequences, including a scene around a gallows that became a morris dance around a maypole.

[7] The show had been intended as a romp that poked fun at the Crusades, the attitude of the Church and the human flaw of wanting to turn an outlaw into a hero.

was a lucky break – it meant he was free to participate in The Frost Report, his breakthrough in television, and also the show where he first worked with Ronnie Barker.