Dick Whittington

As the old saying goes "The show must go on", and when one of the leading characters, namely King Rat is taken into hospital hours before the show someone has to step into his shoes, cue new director Mark Maltby. Mark stepped into the shoes of John Green and a brilliant performance he did too, yes he had his "book of spells" which I daresay held the script but with the exception of a few occasions he did not need to look at it, well done Mark for a great performance and a great production. Other parts in the show were played equally well by Gail Cobb as Fairy Bow bells who came on in not the traditional fairy outfit but nevertheless a stunning one and portrayed a magical Fairy. Kirstie Probert played Captain Cuttle with a near perfect Liverpool accent in fact I did hear someone say "I didn't know she was from Liverpool!" In the lead character was Samantha Smedley who not only played Dick but also assisted Mark with the production, Samantha together with Dick's love interest Alice, played by Isabel Canning, provided the romance in this production very convincingly and performed some lovely songs and duets to complete their performances. Of course no production of Dick Whittington is complete without his faithful cat, Tommy, who was portrayed most convincingly by Maria Bolstridge. Iain St John, who people would usually see in the back row of the chorus, as he always says, was brought forward to play a very convincing Alderman Fitzwarren, who of course is Alice's father. Making his debut dame was Jonathan Cobb who did not so much mince around the stage but more bounded about it, both Jonathan and the audience enjoyed every minute of his performance. No pantomime is complete without the Idle Jack character, and this one was no exception, Ashley Booker played his socks off in this part, keeping the laughter going from the audience and on a couple of occasions the pathos too, the kids and the adults loved him and so they should, he never stopped until the last curtain. The chorus, dancers and also smaller parts, Paul Raymond and Nicole Henson as Gnawbone and Gnashfang and also Corey Froggatt as The Sultan completed the line of this excellent show. Thank you Dinnington once again for your hospitality and for a great show.

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