We have been taking the children to the local pantomime at the Lighthouse for the last few years and always had a really fun time. The productions seem to get better and better and this year was no exception!
Dick Whittington was written and directed by Peter Duncan and Chris Jarvis - Chris also plays the role of Dick. Parents with kids a certain age will no doubt be very familiar with Chris from his CBeebies shows! He's definitely one of our favourite CBeebies stars and we knew we'd be in for a treat with him involved.
I have to admit I wasn't familiar with the story of Dick Whittington - we all know that he goes to London in search of fame and fortune but that was about the limit of my knowledge! I was looking forward to seeing how the story would come to life...and were the streets really paved with gold?
The story of Dick Whittington begins with Fairy Bow Bells and a bang and the energy, laughter and entertainment didn't let up through out the whole show! Chris Jarvis makes a brilliant Dick, he is instantly likable and the crowd really get on his side. His sidekick Tommy the cat was fantastically played by Sammy Phillips - she might not have had a speaking part but she certainly captivated the audience with her facial expressions and movement!
Allo Allo favourite Richard Gibson is back on stage playing the lovable, but dippy Alderman Fitzwarren while his daughter Alice, and future Mrs Whittington is played very well by Katie Arundell.
Panto wouldn't be panto without a dame to bring the comedy and this year Dame Dolly Donuts (played by Dereck Walker) had the audience in fits of laughter with her cheeky innuendos and dazzling outfits!
The stars of the show for me though were the rats. We know there are lots of rats in London but I have never seen one in a leather jacket until now!! Led by King Rat (and expertly played by Craig Rhys-Barlow), they were brilliant villains and had Elliot booing and hissing at the stage!
It was a fantastic production and the cast and crew worked their socks off to entertain us. From the sets, to the costumes, to the music, to the local jokes, even the Baby Shark underwater scene, there was something for everyone! My favourite part was the 12 Days of Christmas musical number - it was fast, bonkers and I will never be able hear the original in the same way ;)
The panto finished with a big old singalong to Abba which had the audience on their feet and it's safe to say, we were thoroughly entertained!
You can catch Dick Whittington at the Lighthouse until 31st December - for more info and to book tickets click HERE
Can’t wait we’re goinh tomorrow I may be bias seeing “Tommy the cat” is my daughter and we’re bringing Sams daughter (Molly who’s 3)
ReplyDeleteWe are so excited ����������