Review: DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT, New Wolsey Theatre

Dick Whittington and His Cat is this year's rock 'n' roll pantomime at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. This review is based on the livestream of one of the performances in the auditorium, for which you can purchase tickets.

London has become overrun with rats and there is a prophecy that one man named Dick will be the one to chase them out and save the people of London. Written by award-winning comedian and composer Vikki Stone, this is a panto with a twist as it features actor-musicians playing instruments throughout the show. Classic rock songs have been tweaked to fit the story with Queen's "Flash" becoming "Rats".

Myles Miller plays the cat, a cat who unfortunately has no name as no human has yet thought to give him one. He meets a young hitchhiker named Dick (Luke Thornton) and decides to tag along with him as he seeks his fortune in London. Capers ensue as the pair try and rid the city of its rat problem. Keeping things local, Ipswich also features heavily in Dick Whittington and His Cat. 

Value-wise, the live stream is a good option for multiple viewers or maybe people who are unsure if they would enjoy an in-person pantomime. The lights, noise and busyness of the auditorium can be overwhelming and it isn't an insignificant amount of money to fork out for a family visit so the stream is a great way to introduce someone to panto. Or for me personally, being able to attend a show I wanted to see without spending a fortune on travel. The quality of the stream is brilliant and it uses many different camera angles making it as close to being there as possible. 

The musical element of the show is brilliant and the core characters are great but the comedy characters fall a little flat at times. It might be a case of having to be there to appreciate it but while the plot development element of the script is bang on, the general silliness of panto is missing. There are still plenty of panto elements here with the classic boo's, it's behind you's and oh no he isn't! 

Dick Whittington and His Cat is a fresh take on the classic pantomime with clever musical performances and a decent plot.

Photo credit: Mike Kwasniak

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