Dick Whittingtom

It was such a pleasure to join a very excited audience in the foyer of the Dolman Theatre, to see Newport Pantomime and Musical Society take to the stage for their matinee and final performance of Dick Whittington.

There are always very high hopes of a pantomime performance, and the audience were certainly not disappointed. From the opening scene, the energy on the stage was palpable and each member of the cast made every movement count.

Liz Keech as Dick Whittington gave us all a trip down memory lane with a stunningly traditional performance of thigh slapping joy. It was good to see the excellent
characterisation, so much required in panto but with excellent acting ability shining through and enhanced with her talent as a singer. A joy to watch. A superb performance.

Taryn Meyrick as Alice Fitzwarren was a joy to watch. Her personality shines through and her characterisation never falters. The duets with Liz Keech were beautifully performed. The perfect Princess. Her facial expressions light up the stage.

Nick Brimble as King Rat gave an outstanding performance. He looked amazing and was clearly enjoying the audience’s reaction to his every entry, when it could be said that he stole the stage. Excellent characterisation. Very well done.

Ryan Salter, as Dolly, Dumpling gave a lesson in how to be the Dame with every entrance. What a performance it was. With every move, he had the audience laughing. Superb comic timing and a great rapport with both the audience and fellow cast members. A truly memorable performance.

Lee Rose Walsh. As Fairy Bowbells looked and sounded as all good fairies should. Excellent narration throughout, gave a clear storyline and an excellent foil to King Rat.

Zach Stone as Idle Jack had the audience in the palm of his hand. He made the stage his own with a performance of such energy. Excellent comic timing, outstanding delivery and a shining personality made this character so important to the success of the show and the enjoyment of the audience. My congratulations to him.

Billy Moorcroft. As Captain Cuttlefish and Georgie Moorcroft as Scupper, made for an excellent comedy duo. Their whole performance was very polished, very funny and a pleasure to watch. Well done to both.

Gerald Needs as Alderman Fitzwarren gave an excellent performance as the bumbling father of Alice. Great characterization. Very well done.

It was good to see some young cast members, in significant character roles. Tom Bassett as the Sultan of Morocco and Fionn Bassett as the Sultana looked and performed extremely well .Well done to Niamh Britton as Tom the Cat. An excellent performance with beautiful feline movements. Well done to you all, you have a great future in theatre production.

I must congratulate the whole cast on their performance both visually and vocally. The movement, singing, dancing and characterisation was outstanding. You made every scene magical. My respect to your Choreographer, Director. Producer and Musical Director. This was an outstanding show. “Oh yes, it was”.

Dianne J L Hayes NODA Wales and Ireland Regional Representative District 7

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