Dick Whittington

There was a great atmosphere in the Hertford Theatre on Panto night with the vast majority of the audience being made up of Brownies, Guides and Rangers. A definite bonus when it came to audience participation and this version of Dick Whittington had plenty of it.

The panto opened with a great choice of music, “I’ve Got a Feeling” which got everyone clapping from the very start.

Alison Brown as Dick Whittington was well cast and presented herself as the traditional, thigh slapping principal boy. Good command of the stage showed experience and vocally a comfortable match to Kate Morris as Alice Fitzwarren.

Daniel Goode as Dame Dolly Dollop suited the role perfectly and had great fun involving his audience, his character being just a little bit naughty but nice! His play on words was well handled and suited the young audience. My only concern was the pitch of the voice. At times a little too high for me but this is personal preference and did not detract from the performance as a whole

Sam Morris as Dan and Gemma Anderson as Becky made a lovely second principal couple and I thought the chemistry between them showed a great pairing for the future. I was very impressed by their stagecraft and their vocals and diction was spot on. Well done both of you.

Darren Jones as Snitch and Andy Kirtley as Snatch, two bad rats, performed their roles with menace and the children in the audience took every opportunity to boo and hiss whenever they could. The “Elvis” number went down a treat and was totally unexpected

Nikki Milton played a forceful Baroness Brunhilda Bedknobs with clear projection and diction. However there were moments when I was unsure whether the character was that of fame fatale or pure baddy. Never the less the contrast between Brunhilda and her soppy son Hugo, played by Carmelo Viviani was well defined and in any panto the audience must have characters you just love to hate. A good pairing both vocally and visually.  

Will Smith played a convincing Alderman Fitzwarren showing how versatile an actor he is. His connection with daughter Alice was convincing and his facial expressions and body language when faced with the Baroness was cringingly funny, who would want to be in his position!! Good character discipline here.

Becky Rowley as Tibby the cat was wonderful. Not once was characterization lost and the body language and facial expressions were superb. Some good preparation done here and very much appreciated.

Elaine Miller linked the story together well as the narrator and Clive Bell, Carrie Gilham and David Curling all played their supporting roles with clear character definition.

The junior chorus, dancers and chorus worked well on stage. Musical numbers were well chosen and suited the company. Choreography was well executed and tap clear and precise, well within the capabilities of the cast.

The audience number was well organised, especially with so many young people being invited up on to the stage.

The programme was clear and informative and I enjoyed reading all the little personal comments from the cast.

Thanking you once again for your hospitality,

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