Dick Whittington and his Cat

The story of Dick Whittington is very well known and the excellent script was very well interpreted by this talented company.

The first few scenes introduced characters, but the story really took off with the clever James Bond/ Her Majesty, film sequence introduction of Dolly Dumpling. This was an astute idea from the director Andrew Carpenter as he tried,  successfully, to emulate the opening of the Olympics and the arrival of the Queen, which was entertaining and well executed.

I anticipated the opening of every new scene with pleasure as I observed the good but simple scenery from Scenic and Property Hire, Newport. Mainly cloths, so well painted they portrayed exactly where we were. From  a street scene, to the inside of palaces, the outside of the Mansion House, Highgate Hill, a desert island  and the wonderful split cloth for under the sea... the fishes were a delight and were moved perfectly by the performers behind the scene.

The lighting was good, enhancing every scene and the special effects at the end of act one completed a spectacular scene. I was astounded to see that most if not all the cast were wearing radio mics... your expense was well rewarded because the sound was excellent.

The costumes from Ace Theatrical Costumes, Tredegar, were outstanding from beginning to end, they looked like a brand new set... or had very obviously been well looked after. Every member of the company wore them well and looked excellent. The whole setting for Dick Whittington’s dream was masterly... from the singing of ‘One Day More’, to the costumes, scenery and effects... it was an outstanding piece of theatre.

The choreographer Karen Harley used her talent and imagination and presented some simple routines that were achievable,  appropriate and excellently executed, this was some of the best dancing and choreography I have seen in a pantomime... it was part of the whole and not as so often happens ... an add on, because it is expected. 

Here I should say that for me this pantomime seemed more of a regular musical than most, the story unfolded, the music and songs fitted the story and the dancing was integral to the story. But, make no mistake...it was a pantomime and every element of traditional pantomime was present. From love at first sight, to the silliness of Idle Jack to the paired comedy of Captain and Scupper, to the dame and all her innuendo and slight smuttiness (always enjoyed by the adults) from the baddie and the fairy to the slapstick and local references, from the  sing-along, sweets thrown and children on the stage... all present and correct!

The MD kept a tight reign on the band and never once allowed the sound to overpower the singers. The combination of instruments worked perfectly and complimented the whole production. The singing of the principals and chorus was very good pantomime. The director showed real flair for musical theatre, but he also knew the art of pantomime. Pace and timing, song and dance and story telling, on stage grouping and entrances and exits were all so good. This production, without doubt, was one of the best pantomimes I have seen. 

The principal performers were well cast:

Dick Whittington - A lovely strong performance from a good actor, with a beautiful and powerful singing voice, and good stage presence.

Alice Fitzwarren - Nice voice, good movement, good stage presence which was just right for the principal girl.

Alderman Fitzwarren – Good performance from an experience pantomime actor, excellent timing with just the right amount of ‘bumbling’ expected from the character.

Dolly Dumpling _ an accomplished performance from a ‘first time dame’ lovely rapport with the audience which grew as the show progressed.

Idle Jack – I heard that there was a short notice change of performer to this part, so with your inexperience you did very well indeed, You have a talent which you must develop and I am certain you will move on to many interesting roles in musical theatre.

Captain Cuttlefish – Excellent performance.

Scupper – Together with the Captain you made an excellent team, you are very talented, good voice, good dancing, movement and comedy timing (and ad-libbing).

Tom – Wow! What a lithe and accomplished dancer, you were a beautiful cat, you have an excellent voice, you made the part your own... you stole the show!

King Rat – As a friend of Andrew, what can I say that won’t sound sycophantic? Andrew you were born to play King Rat... enough said!

Fairy Bowbells – A lovely performance with beautiful speaking and singing, perfect for the top of my Christmas tree!

Sultan of Morocco and all other cameo roles were all very well cast.

The young people ... junior chorus and ratlings were well rehearsed and confident in their performances as were the chorus and adult dancers.

This was a terrific company show; with team work very obvious from people on stage, production and front of house.

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