Home   What's On   Article

Subscribe Now

Pantomime review: The streets are paved with gold stars for Dick Whittington




Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without mince pies, a re-gifted bath bomb set, and a trip to the panto, writes Jo Tynan.

My earliest memory of the theatre was watching Mr T from the A-Team as the Genie in Aladdin at the Liverpool Empire. Seeing the American actor parody his hard-man image for laughs from the Liverpudlian audience started a lifelong love of the theatre for me.

Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Matt Crosby (61182886)
Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Matt Crosby (61182886)

We have the enterprising Victorians to thank for the outlandish costumes, celebrity turns and audience participation that has made pantomime a British tradition. When done well, the popular art form is a hilarious spectacle that appeals to everyone from pre-schoolers to pensioners – and the latest offering from the Cambridge Arts Theatre is done very well indeed.

This year’s production is Dick Whittington and his Cat. The fairytale is based on the life of a real mayor of London, Sir Richard Whittington, who died in 1423, although there’s no evidence he ever owned a cat, never mind a talking one, but we won’t let that put us off.

Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Rolan Bell (61182883)
Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Rolan Bell (61182883)

In the Cambridge version, fed up living life with empty pockets, plucky hero Dick arrives in London seeking fame, fortune, adventure and, of course, his one true love. Alongside his trusty companion Tommy the Cat, Dick thinks luck is finally on his side, until a despicable Rat arrives in town determined to unleash hell across the capital.

In a city full of Knights and Dames, Matt Crosby has captured our hearts as Cambridge’s number one Dame, so we always know we are in for a comedic treat when he has signed on the dotted line to star in our panto for another year. Crosby headlines the cast as Sarah the Cook and from the moment he arrives on stage in his ‘sexy Lidl dress’ he has the audience in absolute stitches.

Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Luke Baker (61182889)
Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Luke Baker (61182889)

The script is peppered with local jokes – everywhere from Jesus Green Lido to the Trailer of Life gets a mention and a grammar pun that would ‘only work in Cambridge’ got a big cheer – the writers know us well. The cultural references land perfectly with each target audience - there’s a nod to Encanto, TikTok and Instagram for the youngsters, and Liz Truss and King Charles are the butt of laughs that hit the adults in the face like a panto water pistol. The more risqué jokes show the writers aren’t afraid of pushing boundaries, and the edgy bits of humour paid off with teenagers and grown-ups actually crying with laughter at some of the more ribald moments.

Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Ruby Ablett (61182937)
Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Ruby Ablett (61182937)

Television star Rolan Bell returned to Cambridge fresh from his 'Best Villain' win at The Pantomime Awards 2022 and his pinstriped King Rat is deliciously bad. And boy, can Bell sing – I could have listened to him cover P!nk’s songs all night. My favourite line of his, ‘So what? I’m evil’, showed a self-awareness lacking from all the other baddies we’ve watched on the national and international stage this year. It was cathartic to boo and hiss frequently and with abandon at the incorrigible King Rat.

There’s a couple of jump-scares for the audience and the infamous slosh scene was, once again, nothing short of a comedic triumph and worth the ticket price alone. Crosby slips and slides over the spectacular moving set with the charming Nichole Bird as Silly Billie in an endless scene that delivers laugh after laugh - a slapstick masterclass that immediately made me want to book to see the show again. Crosby showed his experience when ad-libbing during an exchange with a six-year-old girl from the audience who sweetly said that she wanted her very own ice rink for Christmas – his aside to Santa Claus had every beleaguered parent in the audience in his pocket.

Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Nichole Bird (61182926)
Cambridge Arts Theatre Christmas Panto Dick Whittington: Nichole Bird (61182926)

Luke Baker plays Dick as wide-eyed gullible hero and is another lead with an impressive singing voice, he and Ruby Ablett as Alice Fitzwarren make it very easy to root for them as a couple. Adrian Grove’s three characters collide in a hilarious set piece as the panto draws to a close and the adult ensemble (no pantobabes again this year) are expertly led by Strictly choreographer Tamsin January. A special shout-out to Celeste Williamson who was my teenage daughter’s favourite dancer and two year six football fans Thomas and Noah loved having the chance to belt out Sweet Caroline.

The cast of Cambridge Arts Theatre Panto, Dick Whittington. Picture: Keith Heppell. (61182896)
The cast of Cambridge Arts Theatre Panto, Dick Whittington. Picture: Keith Heppell. (61182896)

The audience feels among friends and in safe hands with the glittering cast, it is the heart-warming escapism you need in your life. Dick Whittington and his Cat shows that once panto captures your heart, it never lets go - it truly is a side-splitting panto with a big purr-sonality.

Dick Whittington and his Cat is on at the Cambridge Arts Theatre until Sunday, January 8.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More