Dick Whittington

Daniel Baillie and Derek D Easton gave this well known storyline some topical jokes and added fun slap stick to create another entertaining pantomime. Good chorus singing with energetic and well honed movement underpinned and enhanced the whole show. Dale Henry opened the story as amicable and helpful Fairy Bow-Bells who warned us all about the Evil King Rat who was terrorising London. In this role Daniel Baillie did a tremendous job of scaring the rest of us as well, his deep voice encouraging the youngsters to boo his villainy. Trying to combat his evil stratagems and eventually succeeding were principals Claire Coyne as the inventive Dick Whittington and Michelle Weston as the pragmatic Mayor’s daughter Alice. Inevitably they fell in love and their duet was one of the singing highlights. Taking the audience by storm with their antics and fantastic costumes were Derek D Easton as the panto Dame Sarah The Cook and Stewart Borthwick as a very Idle Jack who kept falling asleep. The children loved to shout to wake him up. Their swimming and kitchen slapstick routines, their one liners and rapport with the youngsters had us rolling. John Coe fulfilled the role of Alderman Fitzwarren in more prosaic style. Tommy the Cat was played by Karyn Russell in more aggressive mode scattering the rats – in particular the pair of loveable sidekick rogues Scab and Boil performed enthusiastically by Tracy Allan and Lucy Andrew. Meanwhile Lynsey Craig was a graceful Sultana, Christopher Duncan a wily Wazir and a nice double act in the making were Chloe Kennedy and Andrew Gibson in their roles of Captain Kipper and First Mate Pike. As befitting a panto, costumes were colourful, scenery was well designed and scenes atmospherically lit. The audience shouting as loud as it could in response to events was a clear marker of the show’s success. Well Done All.

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