Dick Whittington

Dodford Village Hall was the welcoming venue for this trip to pantoland, as the Fairbourne Dodders unveiled their latest creation – Dick Whittington.  An indication of what was to come was provided before the curtain up, as we were informed not only of the locations of the exits and the need to turn off our phones, but also of the possibility that things might go a bit wrong…

Dick Whittington followed the familiar story, in which our hero and his trusty feline sidekick triumph over King Rat and his hordes, both in London and, following an eventful voyage to Morocco, at the court of the Emperor.  All of the panto staples were present and correct, with plenty of opportunities for booing and cheering our heroes, and shouting out ‘he’s behind you’.  Oh yes there was!

As the titular Dick Whittington, Clementine Kear ticked the Principal Boy boxes, and Matthew Bodley had a nice line in meows as her ever present companion, Tommy the Cat.  Scott Broadfield was a strong-voiced Alderman Fitzwarren, and had a lot of fun doubling up as Captain Horatio (especially when one character was supposedly about to enter whilst the other was on stage!)  Sam Halfpenny was suitably acerbic as the Dame, Sarah the Cook, with a nice line in put-downs aimed at the backstage crew.  Lily Kean and George Bryan played Alice Fitzwarren and Idle Jack respectively, with Graham Morgan popping up in the second half as the Emperor of Morocco.  Finally amongst the principals, Chris Hinchley was nicely menacing as bad King Rat, and Sharon Cartwright hit just the right note as Fairy Bowbells.  These two spoke in rhyme, as is traditional, which worked well and added nice variety to the dialogue.

A seventeen-strong supporting cast of adults and children also played their part, filling the roles of villagers, sailors, rats and guards. Director James Cartwright came up with some nice, traditional panto routines – I particularly liked the repeated trips to the cellar (including by express elevator!) and a slapstick routine involving several platefuls of custard pie.  Good use was made of the auditorium, as actors made their way to the stage via a variety of different routes and executed an entertaining pirate battle in the second half. 

This was not a show where strict adherence to the script was a priority, as cast members helped themselves to plenty of adlibs and chats about whose line it was next!  Some of the time, I couldn’t quite work out whether someone had genuinely forgotten their line, or was spoofing us.  The overall effect was a bit like a cross between a panto and The Play That Goes Wrong.  But what was absolutely clear was that the cast were enjoying themselves greatly and the audience reciprocated, whooping it up with glee.  The show closed with the wonderful chaos of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ – evidently an annual tradition for this group, as the coveted ‘five toilet rolls’ were chased around the room! 

The set, including a nicely painted backdrop of a city street and two good side panels, was well done and did the job of setting the scene perfectly.  Costumes were also good, although perhaps a little more attention could have been paid to footwear and accessories?  Sound and lighting functioned effectively, putting one or two first-night mishaps to one side.

My thanks to all at Fairbourne Dodders for inviting me to their show, which managed the feat of seeming both very traditional and quite subversive at the same time.  I’m not sure how they managed that, but it was clear that the audience enjoyed themselves, and that is really all that counts in the end!  I look forward to seeing you all again in 2023.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.