Dick Whittingham and His Pussy

CHEADLE AMATEUR THEATRE & STAGECRAFT

Present

Dick Whittington & His Pussy

The potential for pantomime mayhem never passes CATS by, after the success of last year’s Adult only offering it was deemed a second foray worthy of the good folk of Cheadle.

Director and Scriptwriter Jason Greenwood must have had a wry smile, beginning the group’s latest proceedings with a disgruntled couple of old dears, Keith and Noreen, complaining about the bad language and crudity of last year’s show. Despite their trepidation, deciding to see this year’s show, with the proviso that Keith have the typewriter on standby ready to write a letter of complaint after the show. Ingenious, bringing forth a wicked portrayal by Tracey Callan-Johnson and Tim Ray.

Dickless Whittington, to give his full name, Rob Adamson, was naivety personified. After saying goodbye to his mother Grizelda Whittington, Ian Wood, more of whom later, he chances upon a soaked but feisty talking cat called Tiddles, Jessie Austin.

He immediately renames her Wet Pussy, asking her to accompany him to the golden paved streets of London town, he suggests they sing 500 Miles, she replies “how about a smack in the gob”, she has real cattitude throughout.

Their travels take them to London where they meet potential love interest, Fanny Fitzwarren: Dan Ede Smith, who together with her Dripping Pussy, a dog that identifies as a cat, this was particularly topical and hilariously performed by Rich Gilbert, together with his ultra expressive ears.

We’re introduced to Fanny’s dad Henry Fitzwarren, Jake Phillips and his friend Warren Fitzhenry, Tim Ray. The double-entendres flow freely around these characters, Henry entrusts Dick to guard their life savings savings in the old dodgy safe overnight.

As in all the best pantomime’s there lurks a baddy, deep in the bowls of London’s sewers is Queen Rat, Tracey Callan-Johnson, with her useless minion, she empties the safe and frames Dick.

Act II leads off with the old dears again, recalling the bad language and sexual innuendo from Act I, ending with Keith revealing through the lack of a back to his overcoat, stockings, suspenders and bra, a la Kenny Everette’s Angry of Mayfair.

This started the ball rolling nicely. Grizelda, surely the star of the show, worked the audience to perfection, she gave us the Hokey Pokey, before stripping, a sight you can’t unsee. An unforgettable costume change, transforming Grizelda into the Sultana of Morocco, oh the joys of fishnets, getting caught up in dangly bits and just about everything you can think of and then some, this was probably loosely scripted, certainly not rehearsed but had the house in tears of laughter.

Luckily, there were lots of blackouts throughout the evenings proceedings, I don’t know quite how many were actually scheduled, but they all added to the mayhem and merriment.

Of course, the goodies win in the end, Fairy Goodwank, Jason Greenwood saw to that, despite his dodgy unsavoury demeanour and wheeled walking frame, which he looked menacingly enough like he’d pinched off a disgruntled pensioner just before the show, we later found out that he had actually had surgery prior to the show and the device was his, oops!

I have to say as my official last NODA review it was an apt and suitable send off from one of my groups. We will continue to see quite a few of them going forward, it has been an honour and privilege to be District 3’s regional representative.

No doubt most of this cast will be back for CATS’ next production, the under canvas, (British Summer time) Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette.

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