Dick Whittington and His Cat
Lyric Hammersmith
Director Steve Marmion’s pantomime for the Lyric is fast-paced, playful, urban and clever. The traditional story of ‘Gloucesesesester’ country boy Dick Whittington, looking to find fame and fortune in gritty, urban London is upgraded to include a rather cool and street-wise Cat, a trip to ‘Timbuchthree’ and the charmingly tacky presence of dame Sarah the Cook.
The story is partly narrated by two animated bells, voiced by Stephen Fry and Alan Davies. They guard the proscenium stage from either side, bringing us in and out of the action, adding some classic charm and humour to the concoction. In fact, Dick Whittington and His Cat certainly has plenty of humour of every kind, for every age.
The characters are diverse and energetic. Paul J Medford’s Cat is satisfyingly cheeky, Simon Kunz bring us a masterfully evil yet humane King Rat, Alice Fitzwarren’s Rosalind performs with a powerful and elegant voice and Shaun Predergast’s Sarah the Cook is played with a cheeky smile and endless humour. Tom Scutt’s set and costume bring the story to life with imagination and yet more playfulness, but also a love for the genre.
What’s so engaging about Dick Whittington is its constant theatrical play on illusion that means the relationship with the audience is never dropped. Sarah the Cook performs a humorous and cheeky dame with a genuinely personal smile that means she’s often laughing together with the audience. King Rat is surprising throughout his performance, and is able to change the our emotional relationship in an instant. There’s also The Cat, whose energy picks up the pace throughout the show. This constant dialogue and the sheer energy and pace of the evening mean that the performance compacts a lot of clever references, from Nick Clegg through to Lady Gaga, mixed in with finely crafted turns of events and enjoyable characters.
Dick Whittington subtly subverts the traditions it so elegantly employs with skill and humour. It’s packed with surprises and, under Steve Marmion’s precise direction and with a talented cast, it lights up a cold, dark winter evening.
Tagged: Lyric Hammersmith