Dick Whittington

Synopsis

Pantomime about a boy and his cat who set off to London to make their fortune - usually with Dick's Brother (Idle Jack) and mother - there they usually meet Baron Fitzwarren and sail away to seek treasure. In some versions King Rat goes with them to steal the treasure, in others they reach a land infested with rats where they haven't heard of cats and Dick does a deal, returning home rich he becomes Lord Mayor of London. Based extremely loosely on a real person (Richard Whittington, 1350 to 1423), there is a statue of the cat outside the Whittington Hospital in North London where Dick is supposed to have heard the bells say "Turn again Whittington, Lord Mayor of London" as he trudged away from the city. First recorded panto on this theme was in 1814.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 10 December 2012

There’s a flying fairy, an acrobatic cat, a chorus of local down and dirty rats, a thigh-slapping Dick – Joanna Riding, no less, wears pink jeggings instead of sheer tights, but let that pass – a wise-cracking, vaudevillian Alderman Fitzwarren, a giant ape and an underwater ballet after the shipwreck, where the hull splits in two.

What more do you want? Suffice to say that the Hackney Empire pantomime, even without Clive Rowe this year, has absolutely everything you would expect in a traditional Christmas show, including – I hadn’t forgotten – rhyming couplets and a spanking new dame who gives Adele a run for her money with the big song from the new James Bond movie.

Of course, the venue itself is half the excitement. Frank Matcham’s glorious, gilded pleasure dome is big enough for all of us, and the place purrs with delight as Susie McKenna’s production (she writes and directs the whole thing) unfolds at a crackin...

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Latest User Review

SE panto fan - 10 December 2012:

Ah Hackney Panto as always delivers the very best - this years one totally exceeded my expectations! amazing musical numbers (Skyfall absolutely stole the show!) and fabulous costumes - Shirley Sea Bass (!!!) and the Rat Gang (top hat with rat ears?!? i'll have one any day!) really a true joy to watch - put me straight into the Christmas Spirit! ...

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