Dick Whittington - A Family Pantomime

What a delight to be invited to review Trusthorpe Village Hall Theatre Group’s production of ‘Dick Whittington’ their 77th pantomime.  Worryingly, following the last panto I reviewed, the group were uncertain of continuing in the future. However, I am happy to say that, with an injection of new young talent and back-stage helpers, they have produced another family, community-based panto that was appreciated by the ample audience.  

‘Dick Whittington’, is based on the real-life Lord mayor of London and tells the tale of an orphan boy seeking his fortune in the city.  Unfortunately, the city is besieged by ravenous rats but, with the help of Fairy Beau Belle and a delightful rat catching feline, he manages to save the day proving that hard work and dedication are more important than riches and status. 

Along the way, Dick (Karlos D) meets other characters including Alice (Chantelle S) the daughter of Alderman Fitzwarren, Dame Missy, some comedy police and a host of villagers. 

Almost all the parts played in the panto are performed by youngsters under the age of 21 with some as young as seven!  The chorus of villagers was delightfully sassy, in the opening number sporting gingham skirts for the girls and patched waistcoat for the one boy in the chorus, they danced and sang enthusiastically and even taunted poor Dick!

Fairy Beau Belle, played by Zoe M, had channelled her inner Galinda and encouraged the audience to shout ‘hair’ following which she would perform her signature ‘toss toss’ hair flick.  The fairy enchants Tommy the cat so he can talk and together they head off to London. 

The king (played by Charley P with a confident delivery and the style of a slippery politician) is concerned with the multiplying rat problem and summons his servant (Scarlett M) to find a solution to the problem.  I liked the comedy interplay between the two characters and Scarlett showed some good dance moves dancing to ‘Rat in the Kitchen’ while wearing Gantsa glasses.   The police are duly summoned but, due to budget cuts instigated by the king himself, only one police officer remains Sarge played by Tyler S who enlists the help of two new cadets PC Plod (Katlin T) and PC Tod (Lacey T) who are delighted to assist.

The rats appear, bathed in green light to signify their evil nature, led by their leader, King Rat (Evie M-B.) and they proceed to chase a terrified Alice across the stage.  Luckily, Tommy is there to save the day, and Alice persuades her father to offer Dick a job in the kitchen working with Missy the cook. 

Widow Missy, the dame was played by Jade M, who gave a very confident performance demonstrating she had the comic timing to banter with the audience about the fate of her many husbands.  Jade has really blossomed since her role as Snow White and it was lovely to see her commanding the stage. I was especially impressed with her handling of the young volunteers, who helped her source ingredients for her cake in a comedy baking sketch, showing an ability for improvisation. Jade is a talented young performer and one to watch for the future. 

A disillusioned Dick realises he cannot marry Alice as he is only a poor orphan boy with no prospects and he plans to leave London, but he is encouraged to stay by Tommy who philosophically tells him of his true worth.  Can our hero rid London of the rats and win favour with Alice, or will he be forced to eat one of Dame Missy’s suspect ‘partridge’ pies?

Lots of funny jokes with a local flavour made this panto part of the community coupled with lots of proud friends and relatives in the audience watching the cast perform.  Tommy the Cat, played by Frankie W, was delightful rolling a tennis ball on stage and throwing it into the audience. Tommy was the heart of the show with his sage observations.  I especially liked the showdown with the rats to the tune of Roar in a nicely choreographed number as Tommy summoned his cat army to finally vanquish the pesky rats.

Fairy Beau Belle, played with dead-pan wit by Zoe M, was last seen as the sarcastic magic mirror and she brought the same sardonic humour to the role acting as narrator. Chantelle played Alice as a no-nonsense feisty character who knew just how to handle her sexist father and only wanted to marry for love.  She had good vocals demonstrated by her performance of ‘Can’t Hurry Love.’  Alice’s father, played by Thomas W, was another strong character who delivered his lines well. 

Karlos was good as Dick showing confidence and poise and worked well with Tommy performing a solo while Tommy danced freestyle in the background. 

The set was simple but painted in themed areas such as Missy’s kitchen featuring a huge oven (I liked the Russell’s Hob joke) and the Royal Throne Room featuring shields hung on the walls.  Some scenes took place in front of the curtains allowing time for scene changes. I also liked the signs, popping out of the wings, encouraging the audience to participate with the traditional ‘behind you.’

Music was provided via a recording and arranged by Adele Pratt and the author Jason Mawby and was a mixture of traditional and modern music.  I especially enjoyed the audience participation song of ‘Around the old Campfire’ led by Sarge and Missy complete with actions - an ear worm I was still singing the next morning!

Costumes were bright and colourful and reflected the theme or character. Dick wore a long coat with patches to show his poverty, and the other costumes had a historical theme such as the king’s tabard sporting a red rampant lion. Missy’s costume was bakery themed with a cupcake on her apron, and she wore vibrant wigs. I especially liked her red satin dress for the finale.  Some of the footwear was a bit too modern for the time-period but I liked the matching black pumps worn by the chorus.  The animal heads were effective especially the cat army and the rats wore grey furry waistcoats and paws. 

Obviously, such a young cast cannot perform without a dedicated team of chaperones and dressers behind the scenes making it possible for each child to participate. 

It was also a pleasure to meet front of house staff, Pauline and Bernard Dobbs, who furnished us with coffee and biscuits.

Well done to Directors Christopher Pratt, Jason Mawby and Cathy Sutcliffe for keeping the spirit of panto burning bright in your community and I look forward to reviewing your 78th production. 

 

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