Charlotte Ritchie to Star in RICKY WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT at New Diorama Theatre

Once upon a... etc. there was a nice lad called Ricky Whittington, who lived somewhere that isn't London. Frustrated by the lack of social and economic opportunities in not-London, he put all his possessions into a handkerchief-tied-to-a-stick and set off to is-London with his (talking - get on board) Cat, who was a li'l prick.

Ricky soon learns that the streets are not paved with gold, they're overrun by rats (which represent disenfranchisement, political disillusionment, economic instability, alienation etc.) and that London isn't all that welcoming a place for a young person who makes the bold decision of moving there(/here) without first having been born to rich parents.

An ideal gift for anyone looking for a mordant commentary on the teeming, rent-eating fume-spewing International Financial Centre/gentrifier's theme park known as London and/or a smart and funny twist on an age-old genre.

Charlotte Ritchie first shot to stardom as the impressionable Oregon in Channel 4's cult student life sitcom Fresh Meat, going on to star in BBC's Siblings and Call the Midwife. She is also a member of classical crossover band All Angels.

Joining Charlotte in an all-singing and mostly-dancing ensemble cast will be: Ellie White (The Windsors, House of Fools, @elevenish), Rob Carter (Peep Show, Fresh Meat), Omar Ibrahim(Birds of a Feather), Rosa Robson (RSC, Black Mountain Poets) and David Elms (Borderline).

Writers Daran 'Jonno' Johnson and Liam 'Liam' Williams are both members of celebrated sketch comedy group Sheeps and are the creators of cult webseries '2016: Year Friends'. Daran Johnson's writing credits include BBC's Siblings (starring Charlotte), Flat TV and People Time. Liam Williams' credits include People Time, Ladhood (Radio 4) and Charlie Brooker's 2015 Wipe. He has been nominated twice for the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Awards for his stand-up, and received critical acclaim for his playwriting debut Travesty at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Produced by Fight in the Dog, the show is directed by Alex Clatworthy. The musical director is Freddie Tapner and then designer is Tom Kingsley.

Fight in the Dog was established with the intention of bridging the gap between the worlds of theatre and comedy. The company's chief aim is to create work that's at once as funny as the best comedy and as thought-provoking as the best theatre. So far in 2016 they have produced Liam Williams' debut play Travesty to a warm popular and critical reception at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and New Diorama Theatre, and Twelfth Night with comedians which was originally performed in January 2016 at King's Cross Theatre featuring Tim Key, The Pin, Ellie White and Kieran Hodgson. The show was then performed at Latitude Festival and LonDon Wonderground, Southbank Cnetre over summer 2016.

Web: www.fightinthedog.co.uk Twitter:@_fightinthedog Facebook: /fightinthedog16

New Diorama Theatre is a pioneering venue in the heart of London dedicated to providing a home for theatre ensembles, both emerging and established, from across the UK. Since opening in 2010, New Diorama has welcomed over 120,000 audience members and has developed productions that have toured both nationally and internationally. Having received two prestigious Peter Brook Awards for their programme, New Diorama were also the recipients of the 2013/14 Les Enfants Terribles Prize and Artistic and Executive Director David Byrne was awarded the OffWestEnd Award for Best Artistic Director in 2014. Supported by a strong community programme New Diorama were Mayor of Camden's Official Charity in 2012/13 and are proud of their work with Access, being the only non-government funded Studio Theatres to offer access performances throughout their whole season.

Sat 12 Dec - Sat 7 Jan @ 19:30

Saturday Matinees @ 15:30

Matinees 15, 21, 22 & 23 @ 15:30

No Performances Sat 24 December

£16.00; £15.00 concessions

New Diorama Theatre

15-16 Triton Street

Regent's Place

London NW1 3BF

For the best tickets, book online at www.newdiorama.com

To book by telephone, ring 020 7338 9034

Website: newdiorama.com/whats-on/ricky-whittington-his-cat