Dick Whittington

Newtown Amateur Dramatic Operatic Society have opened their 2019 season with a brilliant production of Dick Whittington.  Set traditionally within the time period, this version of Dick Whittington has a clever script (by Ben Crocker) to keep the action flowing and the storytelling at the forefront during the slapstick and farcical elements.  With a brilliant cast and outstanding costumes, it’s fair to say that this production was a huge success.

Directed by Dave Cox, this production had some clever ideas.  Whilst in keeping with the traditions of panto, it was brought up to date with the visuals and up-tempo songs.  All of the direction was in keeping with the panto style and entrances and exits were used well throughout.  There was a brilliant use of audience participation and great fun was had by all.

The choreography was relatively basic, but it didn’t need more.  It gave each of the young group of dancers a good showcase to show off their ability – even if it was a little obvious.

The costumes were outstanding.  By far the best pantomime costumes I’ve seen.  A special mention has to go to the Dame costumes which were a visual treat!

The set was also brilliant.  Cleverly using curtains that slide across, it gave the opportunity for different locations, which scene changes were going on behind.  I loved the set design for the boat scene and one of the highlights was the underwater scene too.

Lighting was a little hit and miss.  The lights that worked were brilliant.  An excellent use of movers, gobos and laser effects, however, some of the lights didn’t work on the night which meant that some characters were unlit on stage.  This didn’t impact on the action and I doubt that many of the audience even noticed.  A few of the lighting cues were a little slow too, but I suspect this was down to the lights not working correctly.

The sound quality of the mics was generally good.  There were a few slight issues with the levels of Dick and Alice but overall, I liked the blend between the band and the cast.  Some of the sound cues were a little slow too.

The musical director for this production was Dave Semans.  Whilst some of the intros were a little long and some of the timing was off from the cast, the band did very well to cope with this.  I particularly loved the bass guitar which really suited this production.

The main cast were strong, and each did well with their own story.  I really enjoyed the characterisations of the individual characters and they thoroughly entertained the audience throughout.

The protagonist, Dick Whittington, was played by Olivia Trapnell.  Olivia did well as Dick and was a good storyteller.  Olivia also had very good diction and projection.  I would’ve preferred a little more knee slapping and guts to the role, but I was entertained never-the-less.

Sarah The Cook was brilliantly played by Andrew Marsh.  Andrew was outstanding in this role and one of the best Dame’s I’ve ever seen.  Andrew had the right amount of wit, humour and audience participation.  His quick thinking and add-libbing really made him stand out as an outstanding Dame.  I was picked on many times throughout this production, normally I’m not a fan of being picked on but I thoroughly enjoyed it during this performance.  Well done Andrew!

Idle Jack was brilliantly played by Louise Morris.  Louise brought excellent character traits to her character and built an outstanding rapport with the audience.  Louise was very funny and very believable in this role and was brilliantly cast!

Alice Fitzwarren was played by Alisha Morris.  Alisha did well in a part that is relatively two dimensional.  She was a little too sickly sweet for my taste but was well cast in this role.  There were some nice touches to Alisha’s performance, especially with Olivia (Dick).

Jon Kennedy played the roles of Alderman Fitzwarren, Captain Horatio and Emperor of Morocco.  Jon did well to try and create a different character for each role.  There were times when he used the wrong characteristic (limping as Fitzwarren instead of Horatio) but he was very entertaining to watch.  Jon had a great rapport with Andrew (the Dame) and did well in each role.  His accents were great also.

Emily Madden played the role of Tommy the Cat.  Whilst a small role that doesn’t speak, Emily did well to try to convey sass and humour throughout. 

King Rat was brilliantly played by Danny Murray.  Danny had brilliant characterisations and was very well cast in this role.  I loved some of the character choices that Danny made, especially with his physicality and vocality.  I felt that some of the story was lost slightly due to the accent and the fact that the script was a bit too ‘rhymey’, but Danny was very entertaining to watch – a strong performer!

King Rat’s sidekick (Ratty) was played by Alisha Greening.  Whilst Alisha brought some nice characterisations to the part, I lost some of the dialogue.  At times I was straining to hear due to the lack of diction and projection.  Alisha had a brilliant singing voice, but I felt she was singing as Alisha, not as the character of Ratty.

Fairy Bow Bells was played by Barbara Whittaker.  Barbara’s accent was brilliant, and she looked very confident on stage.  Barbara told the story well and the audience loved her performance.

Overall, this was a very long but enjoyable pantomime.  I’m not a massive fan of the more traditional pantomimes as I find they are quite limited in action, I prefer the more up-to-date (Disney) pantos.  Saying that, this version of Dick Whittington was very strong.  Visually, it was excellent.  The set, lights, costumes, props etc made the whole thing sparkle.  The audience were kept very entertained throughout and the was the right amount of storytelling and audience participation.  At the end of the night my cheekbones hurt from smiling and laughing – always a good sign!  I sincerely thank NADOS for their very kind hospitality and I wish them all the very best for their next production of Guys and Dolls.

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