Bristol Hippodrome – until 5 January 2020
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
4****
Bursting into Bristol, comes Dick Whittington desperately searching for his streets paved with gold!
Whether you are 1 or 101, this is the show for you! Panto is a yearly tradition that this year, has exceeded all expectations and will bring a smile to your face from the opening beat. Ian Talbot’s Dick Whittington is superb and not to be missed this year.
As our titular character, Shane Richie brings Dick to light and does he do a good job? OH YES HE DOES! He commanded the stage with such ease and grace, it was an absolute pleasure to see him swell with pride when the audience joined in. As a Panto person myself, having performed in many over the years, I was taken aback at the smooth and effortless acting and slapstick Richie conveyed. At one point, I was aghast at him falling through the backdrop and his incredible acting had me fooled! Playing the audience was his strength, he obliterated and completely smashed the fourth wall into oblivion and really felt like he was talking individually to you!
Playing against Richie was Peter Piper as Captain Cockles and what a pair these are. The camaraderie and rapport these two have is exquisite and was so joyful to see them break character and guffaw at each other’s mistakes. Both Richie and Piper have brilliant singing voices and got the audience singing and dancing along so easily-a really fabulous cast.
Alternatively, Queen Rat (Jennie Dale) was brilliant at audience hype and it was lovely to hear the theatre adorned with Boo’s and Hisses from the thousands of children in the auditorium.David O’Reilley and Christine Tucker as Sarah the Cook and Alice Fitzwarren were also great, the traditional Dame and Principal Girl carrying the plot along brilliantly. With the Bristol School of Dancing, The Acromaniacs and Blair Cameron as Kitty, the dancing and acrobatics that graced the stage were second to none and jaw dropping.
Technically, this was a feast for the eyes. With rats that booked over the front row and a double-decker bus that flew above our heads, this was stunning and had me mesmerised.
Truly, Shane Richie has earned his spot in Panto history and I would love to see him again. He was absolutely stellar and a real natural – I was more than impressed! This is definitely a staple in your family’s Christmas build up and I would urge you to book tickets quickly; I can see this show selling out very swiftly – the calibre of acting, singing and audience inclusion is phenomenal!!