Dick WhIttington

As with Aladdin last year, the very nice people of the Watlington Players had selected this season’s most popular title, at least in Area 4 North. Dick Whittington is amongst my favourites and, after a welcome from Cyril Pike as warm as the warmest December on record and a well-considered beverage from Nerys Brooks at the bar that was as wet as the wettest December on record, I took my seat to see what Director Mike Cooke, had cooked up for me!

The set (construction by Chris Scott and Richard Bennett with artwork by Hugh Pearce and John Twine) was perfection as usual and costumes (the wonderful and incredible Judy Parsons) were as colourful and well-tailored as ever. Sound and light ( Maestro Barry Ayres) did everything they need to do and more, with incidental props from  Margaret Mould and Judy Parsons that caused me no offence whatsoever.

The chorus was quite a grand affair this year with plenty of bodies of all ages filling the stage and lifting the rafters. Everyone looked to be having fun and everyone looked to know the song words and the choreography (Penny Cooke) … always a neat trick if you can pull it off. Sadly for those in that chorus the dancing pirates, comprising Kia Long, Mandi Field and the captivating Jane Pearce, stole every scene with Mrs Pearce especially impossible not to watch.

In the supporting roles Allan Lord was in fine form as evil pirate Long John Tin Foil, who comfortably won this season’s award for the worst pantomime name! Rebecca Field made a nice job of Tiddles the Cat and Julie Long was word perfect as the Fairy “Spirit of London”. Steve Brooks is never knowingly undersold and, in this production, he made plenty of Alderman Fitzwarren, the good guy who usually finishes last…  that’s Fitzwarren by the way, and not Mr Brooks. David Brammer brought the boo-and-hiss for this performance with an excellent characterisation in his portrayal of King Rat. Plenty of menace and a nice comic touch thrown in.

Romantic leads came with the parts of Alice Fitzwarren played with style by delightful Georgia Steer and ‘three times lord Mayor’ Dick Whittington, courtesy of Amy Thorpe, who not only looked the part but acted and sang to a very high standard. I am not sure if I have seen Miss Thorpe at this venue before but she is certainly a talent to keep an eye on. The dame in this production was Sarah, a housekeeper and cook in the Fitzwarren household, played by the remarkable Tom Powell. Mr Powell’s relaxed, almost throw-away style was in perfect contrast to the antics of the more animated characters. Another quality shift was that worked by comic lead Sam Lord as Barrow Boy Billy Mr Lord had a gentle delivery and a crowd pleasing personality but could just have done to work the audience a little more.

Penultimate paragraph honours were difficult to place this year with so many really good perfomances in a very well-constructed pantomime. However, I will lob them in the direction of Debbie Bennett and Georgia Smith as comic leads Nip and Tuck, both displaying good comic timing and a well-drilled delivery, with Miss Smith particularly dominating the stage in every scene she took part in. Seldom have I seen a more relaxed perfomances from a young lady completely on top of her game.

It has been a difficult pantomime season this time, with many of the scripts I have reviewed coming completely without gags. Not so at Watlington. I would even go so far as to say that the gag count in this production was equal to that of all the other pantomimes I have seen …. Combined! This year’s batch have all been aimed at the youngest members of the audience and, while this one played quite safe, there was at least the promise of adult entertainment on a couple of occasions. My compliments to Director, Mike Cooke for the delivery of a quality product and to Kate Mould and her four piece combo for the music. Now …. bring me Spamalot!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.