A tale of fame and fortune, Dick Whittington feels nowhere more at home than when presented in London, where the streets aren’t quite paved with gold. A home-grown narrative on home soil often leads to a path well-trodden, but this year’s pantomime at the Greenwich Theatre reinvents the title in a truly innovative way.
Appearing in his eleventh pantomime for the venue, Anthony Spargo writes his third. Having honed his penmanship with Robin Hood and Snow White, 2024’s Dick Whittington and his Cat is fresh, vibrant, well-structured and offers the perfect balance of romance, quest and comedy.
A madcap blend of The Beano meets Carry On, director James Haddrell’s production ramps and camps up the comedy and plays the romance with real heart. Samuel Bailey’s Dick Whittington is a lesson in the art of Principal Boy. Dashing, bold and full of fresh-faced optimism, Bailey has the audience on side from the off, and his relationship with Jasmine Jules Andrews’s strong-minded, studious Alice never peters on the sickly sweet. Both have impressive voices, which are put to great use in an eclectic soundtrack featuring “Funkytown”, “My Favourite Things”, “I’m a Believer”, “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Welcome to the 60s” under the musical direction of Steve Markwick.
The sounds of the sixties ring out in a production set in swinging London and for which time-travel is an important concept. Whilst Fairy Bowbells is nowhere to be seen, the production is not bereft of magic, for it comes in the form of the Spirit of the Bells, a magical Big Ben clockface who grants Dick’s wish to turn back time and discover who framed him for theft when the till’s takings are found in his bundle.
This is where Spargo’s script exemplifies pure panto genius. So many Dick Whittington narratives struggle to find a replacement for the traditional quest to Morocco in act two, but Spargo forgoes it completely in favour of the Spirit of the Bells summoning a magical TARDIS-esque glittering red telephone box. Before even Dick can set the timer, King Rat jumps in first, wanting to extinguish the Great Fire of London, eradicate the plague and ensure his rotten rodent rule can begin much sooner to put humans in their place and make them suffer for centuries. His plan almost succeeds, changing the course of history and resulting in a rundown London where humans can’t own businesses. The show’s grand finale sees a spin on the Ratlette Wheel of Fortune in King Rat’s Fun Palace decide who ultimately becomes victorious, before one last time-travelling trip and an extreme game of splat the rat returns the natural order.
Spargo’s King Rat is eccentric, absurd and maniacal in equal measure. Along with Louise Cielecki’s lovably Muffy, the two embark on plenty of comic capers worthy of Dick Dastardly and Muttley and even encompass their own Wacky Race, paying homage to The Italian Job complete with LambRATta.
In fact, everyone gets a slice at the comedy pie, with Dick’s feline sidekick, a Spanish, saxophone playing Tommie the Cat played by Inés Ruiz, receiving many a witty one-liner and Paul Kemble’s Alderman Fitzwarren tickling the funny bone every time he suddenly bursts out in cockney rhyming slang when stressed.
The strongest Dame seen on the Greenwich stage in the past three years, Phil Yarrow’s Meggs the Baker warms the audience with her saucy giggle and is involved in some expertly executed set-business, from a new take on Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First” gag as King Rat and Muffy attempt to interview for new roles to a Whack-A-Mole inspired cooking scene featuring disobedient sausage rolls and an exploding air fryer. Yarrow and his fellow cast members make even the oldest of jokes feel fresh, which, combined with an array of innovative updates, makes Dick Whittington and his Cat truly unique.
Featuring cheese puns aplenty, the National Anthem played on car horns and impressions of Kenneth Williams, Oasis and Michael Caine, Dick Whittington and his Cat captures the spirit of the swinging sixties and brings revolution to Pantoland.
Reviewer: Simon Sladen