Dick Whittington

This was my first visit to see a production by this society and a very enjoyable one.

Myself and my guest were well looked after by the friendly front of house team and we enjoyed excellent seats which gave a very good view of the stage.

While I felt the opening number lacked a little energy the pace of the production soon increased and flowed along very nicely. A witty (and quite naughty!) script, coupled with some excellent individual performances soon had the audience in stitches and cheering on the Players on stage. I confess to belly laughing on several occasions thanks to some excellently timed jokes and double entendres from the cast.

Leigh Perry gave a suitably thigh slapping, slightly arrogant performance of our hero Dick Whittington. I would have liked to see a little more confidence in her vocals as she has a good voice. However, her dialogue was clear, her comedic timing good and she interacted well with the audience. Debbie Irby as Dick’s trusty sidekick “Gary the Cat” had some nice moments, particularly during her fight/death scene with Queen Rat.

As with every Panto our hero needs a love interest, in this case Alice, played by Teresa Paddon. After a nervous start she settled well into the role and it was lovely to see her confidence increase as the performance progressed. Her top soprano harmony in the closing number was a delight. I hope Teresa gets more opportunity to show off her vocal ability in the future.

It also wouldn’t be Panto without a Dame and Ross McTaggart was a joy to watch as Sarah the Cook. It was refreshing to see a slightly understated performance by usual “Dame standards”. Clearly Ross is extremely at ease on the stage and he had the audience absolutely on side from the moment he appeared. As did Nick Hewes as the very sweet, slightly silly Idle Jack. Another natural on stage who really kept the audience involved throughout the production. Great performances by both.

Our “Baddie” for the evening was the simply excellent Alison Ollett as Queen Rat. Completely over the top with a great evil cackle. She had the audience booing and hissing as they should. A confident performer who I imagine can turn her hand to any number of roles.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Pauline Roast as the Cockney Fairy Bow Bells. Lovely timing of her rhyming dialogue and she kept her accent throughout. Pauline stood out during the ensemble numbers both with her movement and vocals.

Completing the line up, Charlie Willett as Alderman Fitzwarren gave a very watchable performance. He reminded me of the character Jim Trott from the Vicar of Dibley with his stutter. And lastly, Sue Matten as the Sultana of Morocco. Although only a small role it was an essential one to bring the plot to it’s climax. Both Actors gave nice portrayals.

A special mention to everyone involved with set design, costumes and make up. It was evident that a lot of thought and hard work had been put into the visuals.

Sound and lighting were fine, a couple of the mic’s dropped out occasionally but otherwise ok.

Congratulations to Director James Milne. I was surprised to read this is only the second Panto he has directed. He certainly got the most from his cast and has a real eye for detail both from a performance point of view and staging.

Overall this was a really well done production. While slightly lacking in enthusiasm in some of the ensemble numbers I’m sure this can be worked on. Vocally there is room for improvement but I’m certain over time and once some of the members grow in confidence we will see Wickham Bishops Drama Club continue to go from strength to strength. Thank you to everyone involved for a brilliant evening with lots of laughs.

 

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