Dick Whittington

Reviews

Once again as the Panto season starts to draw to a close, we were invited to visit Blackmore Players and their production of Dick Whittington.

Blackmore always delivers with great sets whether they be very minimalistic & understated or with a superb amount of detail and style and this was no exception.

The pantomime opened in the sewers and we were introduced to our baddie for the evening: King Rat - delivered by Ryan Stevens, I thought Ryan had the stature and command as a convincing baddie with a fabulous costume and opposite him was Fairy Goodwill played by Sarah Neary who charmed the audience from start to finish, she was upbeat, fun, had a great singing voice, was full of energy and was superb at audience interaction.

There were some great ensemble numbers including a tap routine and some saucy sailor dancing, but I would have liked to see more of the chorus on stage as despite this being one of the best-written pantos I have seen for a while, it was a very dialogue-heavy production and this could have been given some much-needed contrast with some more musical numbers.

Dick played by Sarah Tayler and Lucia Rawlings as Alice Fitzwarren were well paired, both sang well and delivered good performances in what are often the hardest parts in a panto to portray. However, one of the best performances of the evening was from James Hughes as Idle Jack, he had a feeling of Joe Pascale in his portrayal with some fantastic facial expressions and a natural comedy feel. I loved him.

Keith Goody as Dame Sarah relished the part complete with oversized eyelashes and crazy costumes and the comedy trio of Itchy, Scratchy and Bro were played by Hilary Martin, Thomas Hughes and Linda Raymond respectively. They were a great mix of visual and verbal comedy but for me it was Linda who reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin with her physicality and great comedic timing, who really shone in these scenes.

But in all his guises, Craig Stevens as the dotty Alderman Fitzwarren, the piratical Captain Fishear and the very camp Sultan Homipalone was one to watch. Craig makes it all look so easy with exceptional stage presence and great delivery.

Other than a rather long act one - this was a fun pantomime and the audience certainly enjoyed adding to the storyline with their own banter and shout outs which always makes it more enjoyable. Every year when I watch a Blackmore Players pantomime they just get better and better and it is clear from tonight that the youth of Blackmore are giving the older members a run for their money. I look forward to seeing what next year brings!

Nikki Mundell-Poole, https://theatrelife.org

This year is Blackmore's 50 th anniversary and their annual pantomime is a great way to start this celebratory year. They had a strong cast of Principals and a good supporting ensemble.

It is expected, from pantomime, that the principals will be somewhat over the top and this cast were, absolutely, spot on in this respect. Ryan Stevens gave a great performance as King Rat, he didn't hold back and was the complete panto villain from the start. Sarah Neary was excellent as Fairy Goodwill.

This may have been her first 'part' but she performed like a seasoned actor, getting the audience involved and giving a strong performance. Sarah Taylor played Dick with great style, a perfect Principal Boy and Lucia Rawlings was delightful as Alice. Rosemarie Nelson played Tom the cat beautifully.

Keith Goody has made the part of the Dame his own at Blackmore and it is always a joy to see the attention to detail he puts into his character. James Hughes was excellent as Idle Jack, a great characterisation and a beautiful performance. The three comedy characters, Itchy, Scratchy and Bro, played by Hilary Martin, Thomas Hughes and Linda Raymond respectively were terrific. Each having their own character, all played to their fullest. Finally, Craig Stevens who played three characters, Alderman Fitzwarren, Captain Fishear and The Sultan. Quite a formidable task, but Craig created a completely different persona for each, all of them very entertaining.

With the excellent ensemble to complete the cast, this production was thoroughly entertaining. There were some problems with the mics and we were privy to some back stage chatter that we really should not have heard!

My main criticism is about the length of the production. The first half lasted an hour and a half, and that's just too long for any show particularly a pantomime where there are children in the audience.

The second half was shorter, but it was still three hours in the theatre (with the interval). I noted at least one mother and young child left at the interval and didn't return. That's a shame because panto is an excellent introduction to the theatre for children.

The costumes were beautiful and, as there was no credit to an outside supplier, I assume they were made by the ladies credited in the programme. Costumes are my personal 'thing' and it was lovely to see these beautiful creations. Congratulations to Rosemarie Nelson, Margaret Boreham and Yvonne Jepson. The special effects makeup was beautifully done, congratulations to Lianne Brown. The set was excellent, perfect for this small stage and smoothly transitioned.

Overall a very enjoyable, if slightly long, evening's entertainment.

Tessa Davies, NODA