All roads lead back to Poole this Christmas with a happy reunion in store for the cast of Dick Whittington, this year’s traditional family pantomime at Lighthouse.
Made at Lighthouse especially for Poole audiences, Dick Whittington is the latest in a run of hit productions in recent years and, like last year’s smash hit Sleeping Beauty and national Panto Award winners Aladdin and Cinderella, is written and directed by CBeebies’ Chris Jarvis with production design by James Smith. Poole-born West End star Bernadette Bangura, who is currently appearing in Moulin Rouge and was last at Lighthouse as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray in 2022, stars as Fairy Bowbelles.
Chris will again play the Dame, Dolly Doughnuts, and be joined onstage by Sleeping Beauty cast members Sarah-Louise Young, whose bad fairy Carabosse was such a hit last year, as the villainous King Rat and Bournemouth-based student Corben Heward-Mills, who was in the ensemble cast of Sleeping Beauty, playing Tommy the Cat.
Excited to be rejoining them is Isabella Kibble, who played Rose in Sleeping Beauty, as the object of Dick’s affections, Alice Fitzwarren.
“I’m thrilled to have been asked back by the team this year,” she says. “I had an amazing time last year. It’s a really special building and this company is just wonderful to work for; really lovely.”
Isabella will play opposite promising young actor Kieran Morris in the title role, a part he has played before.
“It’s really exciting to find out how different this Dick Whittington is to the last time,” he says. “It’s such a great story though – small-town guy goes to live in a big city, encounters a problem and overcomes it to become a better person. The magic is what the writer overlays on top of that.”
Completing the cast is award-winning actor Robert Rees as Alderman Fitzwarren, Alice’s father.
“He’s quite fun, a bit bumbly, a bit pompous,” says Robert. “He’s something fun and warm for the kids. He has a good relationship with Dame and, of course, a good relationship with Alice and Dick. He’s the glue that sticks everyone together. You need those characters in panto, it’s lovely fun.”
With lavish costumes and sets, magical special effects, spectacular musical numbers and loads of family comedy, Dick Whittington follows the traditional story about the poor young man who travels to London to make his fortune having been told its streets are paved with gold. With the help of Tommy the Cat he gets a job with Alderman Fitzwarren, a wealthy merchant, and falls in love with Alice, his boss’ daughter. After falling foul of the wicked King Rat he is forced to leave town, but turns back when called by the bells of Bow. What follows is a great adventure across the seas as Tommy helps Dick clear his name, defeat King Rat, and win the hand of the fair Alice, thereby securing his fortune.
Dick Whittington is booking now at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/ or on 01202 280000.
(NC)