Dick Whittington runs until 24th December at Haverhill Arts Centre – check the website for dates, times and ticket availability or call the Box office on 01440 714140
Guest reviewing the panto at Haverhill is none other than Mavis The Suffolk Fox – Haverhill resident and part of the Georgy & Mavis Talking Squit Podcast You can find Mavis on the You Tubes with all her videos and BBC Radio Suffolk series Durin’ The Virus.
Mavis has written this in native Suffolk dialect – enjoy!
“Oh yes that is! Oh no thas not!” Came the familiar cries from the everso excoitud littlun’s on the edge of their seats at the Haverhill Arts Centre last Fridee night. And that could only mean one thing – thas pantomime time!
And even more marvelous, thas Haverhill’s very first in-house produced pantomime! So first and foremost, I’d like to thank that Dan Schumann for makun’ utt all possible. He done the writun’ and the directun’! And what a spectacle that was.
That was the classic story of Dick Whittington – that young boy who want to leave little old Havril and become the mayor of London along with his cat.
Dick was played by Sinead Mathias-Medieros whose abundant energy made me quite jealous and yearn for me younger years. Accompanied by the equally sprightly, Tommy the Cat, who I can’t credit cuz their name weren’t in the programme under Tommy the Cat. But together they pranced about the stage with delight as we, the audience joined in on their adventure. And of course there was a Dame. (There hain’t nothun’ like one) Sarah the Cook was sassily played by Michael Heslop, and she had the audience in the palm of her hands. She even threw out some treats to the audience! Though I didn’t manage to catch none cuz I was right at the back, much to my friend Dillis’s disappointment.
Dick and Tommy then meet Alice Fitzwarren, played enthusiastically by Katy Cocks, and her father Alderman Fitzwarren played wholeheartedly by David Learner who was that elf on that children’s TV show Knightmare back in the day. Aaron Blackburn played Idle Jack who got the audience shoutun’ and done some marvelous fallun’ over and that, makun’ the littluns squeal with delight. And all of them lot done that wonderful classic panto line up, where they all sing about what they’d be do’un if they weren’t do’un a panto what then results in them all flingun’ their arms and legs together in a well choreographed romp.
And it wouldn’t be a panto without a fairy and a nasty old villian what the audience get to shout and boo at! Samantha Dodd lit up the stage playun’ the goodie, Fairy Bowbells, and that Scott Wright off Corrie was there as King Rat, wearun’ some tight trousers and his shirt undone throughout.
All of the cast looked tremendous in their glitterun’ and coordinated costumes. So well done to whoever sewed up all them matchun’ sequins. They really jumped out at you, backed against the vibrant and impressive sets.
Photo Credit: Haverhill Arts Centre
There was a fair bit of dancun’, and some of the dancun’ littluns were from the local Lisa Mason School of Dance. Equally there was a lot of music, provided by two fellas on a drum and a keyboard and much of the cast were singun’ away – sometimes with the audience clappun’ along. Particularly Sinead as Dick, she was really beltun’ out the tunes. Some of the songs were quite modern, using hits from Status Quo, Queen and Bon Jovi.
This Havril grown show had all the ingredients for a typical traditional pantomime. That could have been 1987 in there and you wouldn’t know. Classical, not overly smutty – in fact, there weren’t a single joke involvun’ the titular character’s name, nor his feline companion! So that was nice and clean for us olds and littluns!
Plus that weren’t too long so we didn’t have to hold our bladders.
Well done indeed, Havril.
Dick Whittington runs until 24th December at Haverhill Arts Centre – check the website for dates, times and ticket availability or call the Box office on 01440 714140
SUFFOLK THEATRE 