There’s a whole new dimension of fun at the Playhouse this Christmas, as Nottingham’s reigning King of Panto Kenneth Alan Taylor unveils his brand new version of DICK WHITTINGTON. Kenneth’s twenty-fourth consecutive pantomime for Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company has all the cats, rats and daft old bats you’d expect, with one or two extra surprises thrown in on top – including eye-popping 3D special effects! DICK WHITTINGTON is heading in your direction from Friday 30 November to Saturday 19 January (Box Office: 0115 941 9419 or www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk).
Renowned as one of the finest surviving examples of a traditional family panto, the Playhouse show has been around long enough to build up a few traditions of its own. With twice the feminine fun of other pantomimes, it’s not just the audience that finds itself doubled up. An Ugly Sister act last year, Jeffrey Longmore and John Elkington are back to prove that truly, there is nothing like a dame – unless it’s another dame! But this year Kenneth has given the tradition another gender twist: for the first time, he has cast a male actor in the title role.
What’s more, when Dick and his friends set to sea, the audience is set to don its 3D glasses for a terrifically splashy special effects sequence. In this year’s panto, it’s not just behind you… it’s also sailing past your ears, flying over your head and hitting you right between the eyes. It’s safe to say that Designer Tim Meacock has created a show more spec-tacular than ever. And of course the jokes are of the usual high standard!
DICK WHITTINGTON is the classic tale of the hick with the stick who hits it big in the City. Young Dick sets out with his entire worldly wealth slung over his shoulder and only his cat for company, keen to discover if the streets of London really are paved with gold. Instead of his fortune, he finds love with the beautiful Alice Fitzwarren - but London is a rat-infested disappointment, and it takes Fairy Bow Bells to persuade him to turn again. With help from his feline friend Tommy, and hindrance from Sarah the Cook, Dick is destined to put King Rat to flight and end his journey in the Lord Mayor’s mansion.
Richard Kay, Buttons in last year’s record-breaking Cinderella, steps centre stage as Dick Whittington with newcomers Hannah Everitt as Tommy the Cat and Jenny Fitzpatrick as Alice. John Elkington plays her mother, Mrs Fitzwarren, and Jeffrey Longmore is Sarah the Cook. Fellow members of the Kenneth Alan Taylor repertory company Rebecca Little and John Gully are Fairy Bow Bells and King Rat respectively; and last year’s other big discovery Nathan Dowling returns as Idle Jack. Once more John Morton brings his magical musical touch to the orchestra pit. Lighting design is by Jason Taylor and choreography by Adele Parry.
