Dick Whittington at Theatre Royal, Nottingham Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Louise Edwards
Pantomime season has arrived in Nottingham and the Theatre Royal located in the city centre have a special treat with Dick Whittington gracing the boards until Sunday 14 January 2024! Produced by the world’s biggest pantomime producer, Crossroads Pantomimes, written by Alan McHugh and directed by Ian Talbot you know you will be in for a treat.
The show opens with Queen Rat, played by Anne Smith, and her team of giant rats vowing to take over London and bring down anyone who gets in their way. Queen Rat is truly evil and gets the audience off to a good start of interaction with lots of Boos and Hisses! We also meet a gigantic rat who appears from the back of the stage but this is about as scary as the pantomime gets and the children loved it.
Next we meet Cbeebies favourite Dr Ranj who plays The Spirit of Bow Bells, looking all glittery and fabulous. He is there to make sure that Dick Whittington’s dreams come true. Reminding us of his spell on Strictly Come Dancing, he struts his impressive dance moves with the Ensemble. The Ensemble are composed of eight amazingly smiley and talented dancers from Laine Theatre Arts. Fantastic to see but I missed seeing the local dance schools showing off their talent.
Outrageous costumes aplenty are provided by Panto dame, Sarah The Cook (who also owns a sweetshop which has been plagued by the rats) who is played by Iain Stuart Robertson and her daughter, Alice (played by Emily Beth Harrington) who also provides a love interest for Dick. They are joined by Kitty Cat, played by Kenan-Lewis Smith who somersaults and high spins to make his entrance.
Soap legend, Shane Ritchie plays Dick Whittington, who has recently arrived in London expecting the streets paved in gold and not rats. Sarah and Alice recruit him to protect their shop and also look after the Lord Mayor’s gold. Obviously things don’t run smoothly and the audience are taken on a journey to capture the imagination and suspend belief with tons of fun and surprises. Ritchie offers charm and charisma and brilliant comedy timing mixed in with Eastenders and of course the more local to Nottingham references.
Ritchie and Ranj are a good comedy duo providing all the pantomime favourites along with the rest of the cast, including the 12 days of Christmas, props falling down and breaking and brilliant musical and dancing numbers.
The stage and set is, as expected, the very best quality and Production Manager Mark Carey and his team have pulled out all the stops to produce a fantastic display of scenes, props and impressive rigging and technical features including pyrotechnics and special effects from Le Maitre that really do add to an impressive party atmosphere.
The programme describes it as “The Pantomime Paved with Gold” on the glossy programme and there was lots of glitz and sparkle there to brighten up, with a touch of celebrity magic, and make the Christmas season even more dazzling,
Don’t miss this Christmas tradition for all the family to love!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £19.50 (booking fees may apply).
Dick Whittington is at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Sunday 14 January 2024, for more information or to book tickets visit https://trch.co.uk/whats-on/23-24-dick-whittington/
or call the box office on 0115 989 5555.