Dick Whittington At Derby Arena Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Gemma F
It’s that time of year again……oh yes it is! Panto season is upon us, a time where young and old alike excitedly head off each Christmas to watch family favourite tales come to life on the big stage. This Christmas Derby Arena in Derby has a real Christmas cracker of a panto for you! Dick Whittington is as bright and brilliant as Dame Mabel’s outrageous costumes, as bold and beautiful as the outstanding set changes and as silly as the (literally) cheesy jokes!
Derby Arena is an impressively modern architectural delight, easily accessed and with reasonably priced parking on site. The staff are plentiful and very welcoming. There is a bar area and seating, as well as a separate on site café. The merchandise is reasonably priced but the snacks not so much at £4.50 for a bag of Minstrels.
Brought to you by Little Wolf Entertainment, written by Morgan Brind and directed by Mark Chatterton, Dick Whittington is packed to the brim with everything you could ever want from a panto….and much more! It delivers one liners, reworks of classic pop tunes, laugh out loud moments and outrageous costumes, right through to a particularly chaotic swaying, watery boat scene that had the audience laughing out loud!
As the show began the audience were taken on a journey from Derbyshire to London with Richard Whittington, a poor orphan boy. Richard (or Dick as he’s fondly known!) travels to the capital expecting streets paved with gold but finds hardship, friendship and a little love along the way. Never far from his side is his loyal cat, Tommy, brilliantly played by the outstanding feline talent that is Kai Harris. Dick’s adventure sees him set sail on a visually epic voyage to prove his innocence after he is wickedly framed by the brilliantly evil Queen Rat (played by Coronation Street legend, Wendi Peters). Wendi Peters is the perfect mix of dastardly and fabulous, she gives audiences exactly what they crave in a panto villain; plenty of ‘boos’ with a fantastic singing voice that filled the arena!
Dick Whittington is played by the ever talented Kristian Cunningham who never fails to shine at Derby Arena. He is vocally gifted, comedically brilliant and cleverly spontaneous in his delivery. Alongside his award winning performances and creative career, Kristian Cunningham is the Creative Director of KTCo Studios, a local leading performing arts school. This pantomime showcases just some of the incredible KTCo College students past and present, including Wilbert Jay Leysa, James Breen, and Dominic Wood, alongside Chloe Hopcroft (panto Dance Captain) and Anna King. Quite simply, this KTCo pool of talent SHINES.
The show is seriously silly with plenty of laughs and interactive experiences (yes, the water guns are back for another year so watch out Derby!). As anyone who has had the joy of visiting a Little Wolf Productions panto will tell you, is it even Christmas if you haven’t seen Morgan Brind dazzle in a sparkly frock and head dress? There are so many stand out moments in this show but particular praise goes to this shining star, Brind’s Dames are a Derby tradition treating audiences to hilarious jokes, cheeky one liners and the most outrageous costumes the Midlands has ever seen!
This show is nothing short of excellent. It’s a fun-filled, fabulous festive feast for the eyes with costumes and dance routines that dazzle its audience. With musical numbers from pop icons including Taylor Swift and a stand out performance of ‘What Is This Feeling’ from Wicked, I challenge you not to laugh out loud, dance and sing (loudly!).
Dick Whittington you were pure joy. If I could give this 6/5 stars, I would! Will you love every moment of this panto?…..OH YES YOU WILL!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £22
Dick Whittington is on stage from Friday 5th December 2025 until Wednesday 31st December 2025. For more information or to book tickets visit www.derbyarena.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01332 255800.
Derby Arena, Royal Way, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8JB