Dick Whittington and his Cat

It’s always been a pleasure to visit with Edge Hill Players and enjoy quality musical productions, genuinely talented cast members and a notable community feeling from the audience. This was my first visit for one of the society’s original pantomimes and I eagerly anticipated watching both adults and children performing together onstage. I was also pleasing to see the auditorium filled with so many families and young children.

Everyone in England knows of the story of Dick Whittington and his Cat – a poor country boy who left home to seek his fortune in London where he’d heard the pavements were made of gold. Finding this not to be true, and after many adventures, Dick eventually rises to become Lord Mayor of London and married. This has been a staple of British pantomimes since at least the nineteenth century and an audience favourite.

This original version was written and directed by Wendy Tansey and Terry Marsh, and included new adventures, twists and a host of new characters. Indeed, I was hugely surprised to see in excess of 60 individuals onstage for the ‘curtain call’. Congratulations must be given to both Wendy and Terry who were responsible for the overall success of this production. Moulding this huge cast, including dozens of enthusiastic children, into a successful and very entertaining pantomime undoubtedly took countless hours of writing, planning and rehearsals. Your efforts are to be applauded here and I’m certain many parents and families have already expressed their gratitude.

Whilst those already mentioned enjoyed ‘the limelight’, it is important to recognise the energy and enthusiasm shown by the entire cast. I would very much have liked to have been able to single out more individual performances but with so many characters and individuals onstage it was difficult to take everything on-board. What I can say is that everyone played a vital part and were a real asset to the production and in delivering their individual performances with enthusiasm and smiles. This greatly added to the overall success of this production. and I was aware that everyone was fully engaged throughout the performance. Of special note were the Rattings, Kittens, Tinklybells and Dancers who delighted the audience.

Whilst not specifically mentioned in the programme I’d like to recognise those adults who acted as chaperones for this production and who gave up their time freely to ensure that our young people have the opportunity to perform in a safe and secure environment.  

Congratulations once again to everyone at Edge Hill Players and those many individuals who were directly involved with Dick Whittington and his Cat.  Thank you again for inviting me along and I look forward to visiting for your next production!

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