Dick Whittington and his Catford Cat | The Broadway Theatre

What a better pantomime for Catford than Dick Whittington, lending to a witty title change, Dick Whittington and his Catford Cat is here for the Christmas period. Set in the Windrush era, Dick Whittington travels from Jamaica to London after the loss of his mother to start a new life. He makes friends and foes along the way all with the help of the cat-turned human, Uncle Vincent. 

Susie McKenna and Peter Rowe as Writer and Director respectively have created a new twist on the classic pantomime. With costumes from Lottie Collett, the audience really feel like they’re being transported back to London in the 1950s. To tie it all together, the fresh, funky and fierce choreography from Tarik Frimpong, who creates lively upbeat numbers with fabulous footwork and suave techniques. Frimpong’s choreography excels during the whole production. 

Durone Stokes plays the titular character of Dick Whittington. Opening the show singing The Impossible Dream, Stokes instantly shows that he’s a passionate performer with a soulful voice. Wayne Rollins as Uncle Vincent/Catford Cat no doubt steals the show, everything he says and does has the audience rolling with laughter. He has nailed being a cat, with the mannerisms in the bag. 

Alice is played by Fergie Fraser, a wonderful dancer with a gorgeous voice. Unfortunately, her character feels slightly two dimensional. Opening act two with Roar, originally by Katy Perry, Fraser solidifies herself as a strong female lead. Our villain is Queen Rat, played by Natasha Lewis. Without being an overly scary character, Lewis is able to convey the motives over to the audience with ease.

Justin Brett is Sarah the Cook, the Dame of Catford’s pantomime. Brett no doubt is comedic but most jokes seem to fall flat, yet the recurring gag of picking on the same member of the audience at every chance possible definitely had people laughing. Lisa Davina Phillips plays Fairy Bowbells and Octavia. She has one of the most powerful voices in the show. Octavia Phillips takes on a comedic role too, while Fairy Bowbells is a protectors of sorts to Whittington.  

Unfortunately, the venue feels too big for this production and the budget it was given. Most set pieces look simplistic and flat with two main backgrounds per act. The costumes share that same simplicity, with most characters having one or maybe two outfits. 

The characters feel flat, with very little dimension to them and it makes it difficult to feel for the characters. The overuse of gag tracks made the production repetitive and overall quite unfunny after the first few uses. The plot also feels too fast paced and almost like a complete different show between acts. 

Dick Whittington and his Catford Cat, despite its flaws, is a charming little pantomime to take the family to over the holiday period.  

★★☆☆☆ (2*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Mark Senior