On now until Saturday 20th January – check the website for current availability.
If you want to do something this Christmas that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face, then go and see The New Wolsey Theatres’ Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto, Dick Whittington and his Cat.
Photo credit: Mike Kwasniak.
The stage of the New Wolsey has been transformed, with cool candy colours and gold glittery arches, to transport us from Ipswich to London, via the A12 and the Big Tesco at Copdock, where Dick meets up with Cat, who longs for an owner and a name. Cat thinks he’s found ‘his human’ and if he tags along he’ll get a home and that elusive name he wants.
Dick is off to London to find fame and fortune, and once there he and Cat meet Sarah the Cook and her daughter Alice Fitzwarren, who are plagued with rats, and unable to bake their cakes because King Rat and his rodents keep pinching the ingredients. Can Dick and Cat catch the rats and save London Town?
This year’s panto is a return to form from The New Wolsey with a cracking script by Vikki Stone, that has just the right balance of jokes for all the family, nothing is too crude, and even the inevitable gags surrounding the leading characters’ name are classics that will go over the kids heads, and make the adults giggle knowingly. Douglas Rintoul’s direction is fast-paced and lively, using every part of the stage and set, which is a fabulously colourful creation that puts you in a great mood even before the action starts. Emily Bestow designed the set and the costumes and deserves a special mention, especially for the Dame’s witty creations, as they were a joy.
Photo credit: Mike Kwasniak.
The whole cast is superb – every year I marvel at the versatility of the actors who also sing, dance and play multiple instruments expertly – but this year there isn’t a single weak link, everyone is tremendous.
The stand-out character for me was Myles Miller as The Cat, who plays the part with a lot of sass and charm. It’s a very funny and confident performance and he has the coolest tail I’ve seen in a long time. He also has great chemistry with Luke Thornton as Dick Whittington, who is a perfect leading man and plays the part with terrific energy.
Photo Credit: Mike Kwasniak.
Someone else with tremendous energy is Elizabeth Rowe, as a feisty girl power inspired Alice, not prepared to take any nonsense from rats, cats or anyone really; she’s a proper modern-day panto female role model.
Photo Credit: Mike Kwasniak.
Max Kinder as the Dame, Sarah the Cook, has wonderful banter with the audience and an array of outrageous wigs and costumes that add to the colour and humour of the part. Janna May makes a fantastic pirate fairy and Steve Simmonds is a comic villain as King Rat, making us boo and laugh in equal measure. Olivia Bennett, Jordan Eskeisa and Eloise Richardson as rats and a variety of supporting characters complete the cast perfectly.
Photo Credit: Mike Kwasniak.
This is a joyous show that brings light and laughter to a dark winter night and will leave you humming well-known tunes and leave you grinning like – well a cat – even one without a name!
Book online on The New Wolsey Website or call the box office on 01473 295900 but don’t delay as over 70% of tickets have gone already.
SUFFOLK THEATRE 