Dick Whittington

It was a pleasure to have once again visited with Putney Light Operatic Society (PLOS) and this time enjoy their 2021 pantomime – Dick Whittington. Having been forced to sadly cancel their 2020 pantomime, and in their first production since 2019, I am sure the entire cast was greatly looking forward to being back onstage once again. It must have been a hugely worrying time to discover, at the very last moment, that several members had tested positive for Covid and that cast adjustments were needed.

Dick Whittington is the well-loved tale of a poor lad who travels to London in hope of ‘seeking his fortune’ and who eventually becomes the Lord Mayor of London. It is a consistent audience favourite with many wonderful pantomime characters (both good and bad). Philip Ruby and Joe Beecroft once again combined their talents as writers and brought a new production to the stage. Keeping to the original storyline, but adding a wide variety of gags, songs and twists, this promised to be a fabulous return to the stage for PLOS.  

Alex Johnson took on the challenge as Director but in his worst nightmare I doubt he’d considered what happened shortly before opening night. Suddenly, faced with the daunting realisation that several cast members had tested positive for Covid, Alex was forced to make a number of changes whilst also joining the cast as Captain Corrs (more below). It should be highlighted that those changes occurred with minimal fuss and, if you’d not been aware of the issue, without any noticeable impact on the production. The end result was another top production from PLOS.    

Greeted with a relatively simple set, which worked very well in providing maximum space onstage, those changes that took  place were slick and without much fuss. Well lit, and with good sound too, the diction was clear and could be heard well above the small band.

Congratulations to everyone involved at PLOS for this production of Dick Whittington. 

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