Dick Whittington and his Magical Cat

~~Pantomime has been a traditional entertainment here in England for many years and Dick Whittington is surely one of the most traditional.
Once again Neil Richardson shouldered the lion’s share of Wellingborough’s production being both writer and director and also playing the part of Sarah the Cook.  He was supported by a number of seasoned players including Jennie Grover (Fairy Bowbelles), Spencer Hawkes (King Rat) and the ever ebullient Jon Baish (Idle Jack)  with Caroline Pedden and Bayley Richardson as Dick Whittington and Alice FItzwarren respectively.  The company performed mainly with confidence but on the night that I was present (and this may have just been a blip) I detected a certain amount of hesitancy on the delivery of lines at times which seemed to lead to a drop on performance levels.  I was also disappointed that not more was made of the bells which called the hero back to London – an iconic part of the story surely!
The chorus numbers could have some with a bit of a boost as it was difficult to hear the words of the songs, particularly in the opening number.
On the plus side I was very impressed with the characterisations and presentation of Lewis Starr as Tommy the cat with attitude – a star in the making!  And I thought Jenny Tyman’s robust delivery made the most of her role of Reggie, King Rat’s evil sidekick.
With plenty of colour, glitz and glamour in the costumes and sets and lighting the show was able to provide some good entertainment.  The excellent stage crew worked hard throughout completing the many scene changes seamlessly. 
I could see that everyone involved had worked very hard to put on a show to please the audience and wish you continued success in the future.
 

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