DICK WHITTINGTON. To 21 January.
Exeter
DICK WHITTINGTON
by Ben Crocker and John Crocker
Northcott Theatre To 21 January 2006
Tue-Sat various dates 1.30pm, 2pm, 6pm, 7pm no performance 10 Jan
BSL Signed 18 Jan 1.30pm & 7pm
Runs 2hr 20min One interval
TICKETS: 01392 493493
www.northcott-theatre.co.uk
Review: Hazel Brown 15 December
The Northcott does it again – Oh Yes It Does – producing great family Christmas entertainment.
Based on real life, this story of Dick Whittington, a poor boy in 14th century England who comes to London, starts trading and ends up rich, and Lord Mayor of London to boot, is embellished by the Northcott team with stock panto characters like Idle Jack, Dick’s sleepy rival for the love of Alice Fitzwarren, the villainous King Rat, a good Cockney fairy (this pair wrangle in hilarious rhyming couplets), Sarah the Cook (Steve Bennett in top Dame form) and Gordon Cooper as his/her Scottish sidekick, Captain Horatio Whistleblower. As principal ‘boy’ Dick, Kitty Lucas is in fine voice with a pair of legs to die for. Louise Clayton’s Alice also has a fine singing voice, making their duets a delight.
There are several scenes of glorious knockabout comedy, including Sarah and Captain Whistleblower cooking up a messy storm, loading kit bags onto the ship, and mopping the decks – all requiring good comic timing and a fair amount of ad libbing, likely to progress with the run to the delight of audiences and performers. To impress the Emperor of Morocco (Mark Stratton in imperious form) there is a wonderful scene of incompetent magic, with Sarah being sawn in half, to the consternation of some younger audience members. As the group set off to sea, some charming puppetry front-stage puppetry covers the scene change for the shipwreck. Jelly-fish drift about and a chorus of clams sing, “You’re the One That I Want!”
Live music in the pit keeps the pace flowing nicely and provides incidental sound effects, too. Well rehearsed groups of local children make up the crowd scenes and the audience is invited to get involved at every opportunity, from shouting to keep Idle Jack awake, to booing the villain, to sharing their sweets with the actors (instead of being showered with them) and joining Sarah and Captain Whistleblower on stage to sing. My final bouquet goes to Katherine Fullam who, without saying a word, uses every ounce of her slight frame and her expressive face to become the epitome of felininity as Dick’s worthy companion. Don’t miss it!
Alderman Fitzwarren: Mark Stratton
Alice Fitzwarren: Louise Clayton
Idle Jack: Noel White
King Rat: Jeffrey Harmer
Fairy Bowbells: Karen Davies
Tommy the Cat: Katharine Fullam
Dick Whittington: Kitty Lucas
Sarah the Cook: Steve Bennett
Captain Horatio Whistleblower: Gordon Cooper
Emperor of Morocco: Mark Stratton
The Chorus:
Red Team: Yana Browning, Lucie Edmans, Kayleigh Jones, Luke Martin, Laura Mays, Oscar Pearson Josephine Rossen, Emily Shields
Blue Team: Harriet Barwick, Chanelle Guy, Olaf Millington-Jung, Becky Montague, Emilie Morrison, Daniel Parsons, Lucy Townsend, Ellie Williams
Green Team: Sammie Amery, Tim Gale, Megan Huish, Noah Mosley, Gemma Sharland, Tara Stapley, Hannah Storey, Ami Wyilie
Director: Ben Crocker
Lighting: Russell Payne
Composer: Duncan Chave
Musical Director/Keyboards: Paul McClure
Choreographer Paula Crutchlow
Fight director: Kate Waters
Percussion: Paul Hiley, Bass and Lead Guitar: Dave Bowen
Magic Consultant: Mark Leveridge
2006-01-07 01:05:16