Dick Whittington at Kings Theatre Portsmouth Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Last night I attended the press performance of The Kings Theatre’s Pompey Panto Dick Whittington which runs until 31st December 2024. This production was jointly written by Jack Edwards and Paul Woolf, with original material by Paul Hendy. It was directed by Will Kenning. It is the first Panto that Richard Pearce has been part of as CEO and Paul Woolf’s last Panto as the Producer.
The storyline is loosely based on Dick Whittington, where the premise is that a young man strives to be the Lord Mayor of London, believing the streets to be paved with gold. Along the way he meets the usual Panto characters, with cast members including celebrities Lorraine Stanley as King Rat and George Sampson as Dick Whittington. Dick is introduced to his potential love interest, Imogen Bailey as Alice Fitzwarren. Her brother Billy was played by Joe Rowntree, who is brilliant in his slapstick comedy routines. Dick’s accompanying Cat is played enthusiastically by Jacob Bailey who showed off his acrobatic skills to an appreciative audience.
A Pompey Panto wouldn’t be complete without the larger-than-life Jack Edwards as Dame Dolly, who certainly didn’t disappoint the audience with his outrageous costumes and quips/innuendos. The improved ‘Man Cam 3000’ was brought out, to the audience’s delight, to find a partner for Dame Dolly. The audience interaction was great and from the start set the tone for the rest of the performance.
The two celebrities, Lorraine Stanley as King Rat and George Sampson as Dick Whittingham certainly seemed to relish their roles and really got into the whole pantomime vibe from the very start. They both showcased their talents to the appreciation of the audience, Lorraine referring to her Portsmouth upbringing and Eastenders role. She obviously loved being the villain of the show and the audience took on board their part in booing and hissing as she came on stage. George demonstrated his dancing skills to a very enthusiastic audience and surprised everyone by his vocal singing talent. Julia Worsley as Fairy Bowbells was absolutely on top form; with her beautiful voice very much appreciated by the audience.
The band, consisting of Keys (Andrew Woodford); Guitar (Paul Welsh); Bass (Tim Marshall) and Drums/Percussion (Chris Buck); Assistant MD/Keys 2 (Tom Davison) were excellent and were such an important part of the production. Their professionalism in responding to unexpected changes in the script was exceptional – which this year included being bombarded with flying toilet rolls!
There wouldn’t be a Panto without the support of the talented Ensemble, which this year consisted of Charles Clark, Beth Devine, Alexie Hawkey, Oliver Roll, Kitty Sheppard and Abbie Warner. There were also three teams in the Junior Ensemble who played their roles with skill and enthusiasm.
All the standard pantomime factors were there – slapstick, responses to ‘good guys’ and ‘villains’, a menacing gorilla, 12 days of Christmas song with toilet roll throwing and water pistols aimed at the audience, dancing and singing at and with the audience. The props, stage sets and lighting were amazing and atmospheric. Who would guess that in Dick Whittington there would be an underwater scene and sailing boat with the highlight being the giant turtle that Dame Dolly rides on – don’t ask!
I would thoroughly recommend this show and guarantee you will have a brilliant evening of entertainment. Start and end the Christmas season with a visit to a traditional Pompey Panto – there’s still time! Performances now from 5th December 2024 to 31st December 2024 with a range of times available.
Prices start from £10.00. Kings Theatre, 24 Albert Road, Southsea PO5 2QJ. Box Office 023 9282 8282. For more information or to book tickets, visit www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk.
Rating: 5/5 This is very much worth a 5 star rating – oh no it isn’t – oh yes it is!