Made in Poole especially for Lighthouse audiences, Dick Whittington is the latest in a run of hit productions in recent years that has included national Panto Award winners Aladdin and Cinderella. Written and directed by CBeebies’ Chris Jarvis and with production design by James Smith, it’s the original pantomime adventure story – a quest for fame and fortune on the streets of London.
Something that West End star Bernadette Bangura knows all about – no wonder she is so happy her first panto season in the town where she was born is Dick Whittington.
Born in Poole and brought up in Bournemouth, she went to school at Glenmoor and St Peter’s, and from an early age was in love with performing but soon realised that to take her place on the big stage she would have to move to the capital. Following a whirlwind decade of hard work on the professional stage, she comes back to Poole after two years in the West End starring in the smash hit Moulin Rouge.
“Moulin Rouge has been so much fun,” she says. “It’s been a challenge, definitely; and it’s been so lovely to sit in a show for more than a couple of months. I probably could have stayed in it forever, but it’s time to spread my wings.”
Bernadette is no stranger to Lighthouse, she starred as Motormouth Maybelle in the touring production of Hairspray that sold out every performance in 2022.
“That was such a heartwarming experience. I’d been on the Lighthouse stage many times as a kid with local theatre companies and dance companies, but it was very special coming back here professionally. It’s such a fun show and there’s such a lovely message – I would love to do it again.”
First though there’s Dick Whittington and Christmas in Poole playing Fairy Bowbelles, so what can we expect to see?
“She is a bundle of laughs! She’s very fun. She has a gifted little voice on her as well. She likes to sing her way through life and she’s trying to help Dick Whittington get on his way to find fame and fortune. She also has a little friend with her, Tommy the Cat, her accomplice. I am a really big, big fan of cats; Tommy the Cat and I are going to get on very, very well.”
Dick Whittington is Bernadette’s third pantomime, following turns in Aladdin and Robin Hood, and she’s already excited about the audience reaction to her.
“Well, it’s my first time playing the fairy godmother so I appear in a pretty dress waving my wand and the audience will love me. I played a Spanish housekeeper in Robin Hood – and attempted a Spanish accent – and would get boos when I walked on stage, so I’m looking forward to the cheers for Fairy Bowbelles.
“I did see pantos as a kid, but not as many as some people. I remember seeing Peter Pan at Bournemouth Pavilion and I was like: ‘Wow! This is so magical; I definitely want to be on stage.’
“I put it down to my mum. She was a big fan of live music and I loved imitating Shirley Bassey. There was something about her – she is such a dramatic singer. I’ve always loved singing; I was always listening to something – Spice Girls when I was a kid – and I just took it from there. It’s always been in me.”
That drive to perform took Bernadette to local dance clubs and theatre schools where, as well as stage skills, she learned about how to follow her dream.
“I heard you could train to be an actor at drama schools, but I thought I’d never be able to afford that. Still, I got on the pathway and started auditioning and I thought if it doesn’t work out, then fine. I got into two or three schools, which made me think I might have something I could turn into a profession and maybe earn money from.
“I didn’t get the scholarships though, so I took a couple of years out working in Bournemouth and then finally got an offer to go to Guildford School of Acting, which was linked to Surrey University, so the fees were covered by student loan. That was amazing, in the third year agents come to see you and I got an agent then got my first paid job for a couple of months at Charing Cross Theatre. I was in!”
It has been ten years of relentless hard work, but she’s so obviously right at home in her world that she’s already being sought out as something of a role model by young performers aspiring to follow her into the business.
“I get a lot of messages on Instagram from young adults who’ve been to watch the show telling me I’ve been an inspiration. Even at Stage Door you get little fans of the show that say they want to do this and asking me for tips – it’s so surreal because I was one of those people when I was a teenager.
“People do respond to it, especially when they see a reflection of themselves on the stage, so I’m in a position now to say something positive and help out the next generation. This industry is all about comparing yourself and there can be a lot of self-doubt in there, but the industry has changed so much as well. It is so diverse now. If you look back at the industry 30 years ago, you’d see everyone looked the same, but there’s so much diversity now, which I’m glad to have come out into otherwise it could have been very different.”
Although Bernadette says her future plans could extend to casting, her passion is for performing and that means for now she is entirely focussed on playing Fairy Bowbelles in Dick Whittington at Lighthouse in what is essentially a hometown show.
“I was born in Poole and spent a lot of my teenage life in Poole. I have fond memories of the Quay and getting fish and chips down there and spending my pocket money in the Dolphin Centre on a Saturday.
“The great thing about being at Lighthouse is that I had so many friends and family that wanted to come up to Moulin Rouge, but London can be so expensive to get to – train tickets, theatre tickets – that’s why it’s an extra plus bonus to be here, just down the road. I have lots of friends who have families and kids now so it will be a really special time; although with so many of them coming to the show I can see me hopping back and forth in between shows to finish off some shopping in the Dolphin Centre… they’d better stock up!”
:: Dick Whittington is sponsored by National Express and Raymond James and can be seen at Lighthouse Poole from Thursday 11 December until Sunday 4 January. Tickets available at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/dick-whittington/ or on 01202 280000.
(NC)