There must be a hundred better Dicks in Bath, unsung heroes of the amateur dramatics ranks who could upstage the plodding-voiced, and unanimated soap star. But we get him. Perhaps it was the casting director's little joke to range EastEnder Ricky against living legend Chris Harris (Sarah the Cook). Light on his feet, exquisite timing, quick, slick and at ease with the audience, Harris is simply a phenomenon. As a pantomime dame, the former Bridgwater resident was in a class of his own. Whether it was up and down the ladder in the sweet shop, singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, performing the sand dance, slipping in a Stanley Holloway monologue or distributing sweets to the orchestra and small children in The Gods, Harris lit up the theatre. Running out of steam  | | Sid Owen as Dick and Tania Whatley as Alice |
It was a pity that the great man himself directed a production that ran out of steam towards the end. The story seemed to get lost in Morocco as the plot was thrown away in a disappointing rush to the final goodbyes. Such a shame when the show started with such energy, in a Knees up Mother Brown medley of London songs. The final wedding scene made little sense, and Dick's transformation into the Lord Mayor of London needed more explanation. We know the story but it should have been told more clearly. The main cast Tania Whatley as Alice Fitzwarren, gave a vigorous and professional performance, with good diction, a pleasing stage presence, fine dancing and excellent timing.  | | Sarah the Cook and Idle Jack |
Charlotte Reeder as Fairy Bowbells had a wonderful lisp and made the most of her lines, but was perhaps outgunned in her confrontations with King Rat played by Mark Buffery. His was a classical performance of the highest quality, a beautifully evil voice dispatching lines, such as the wonderfully wicked "there are no rules for villains", with aplomb. Ten out of ten for badness. Idle Jack played by Jon Monie gave a strong performance, easily upstaging Dick. As the slightly twisted, easily led lad, who is jealous of the Gloucester seeker of gold-paved streets, he was believable, oily, and had excellent body language, with a series of excessively contorted facial expressions.  | | Patrick Miller as the jovial sea captan |
Alderman Fitzwarren played by Ian Sanders was light and neat, despite his bulk, producing just the right blend of joviality and pompousness required for a small town politician. Indeed, he should be on Bath City Council as he would add a deal of colour to their meetings. A balletic and energetic Tommy the Cat (Margaret Strange), and a slightly less mobile, but pleasingly jovial, Patrick Miller as the sea captain, completed the main cast. There was a visually stunning sequence from Les Puppetiques en Noir. Ryan Dixon was the pick of the townsfolk with a shining stage presence and sleek body movements and dancing. Christopher Drake has a fine voice but was barely used in the story as the Sultan of Morocco. The female dancers were also used too sparingly by the director. Dick, stay on the telly!  | | The young dancers gave a professional performance |
Indeed, there wasn't really enough (shall we say) physical attractions for glamour-starved mums or dads. A few more shirt buttons loosened, and hemlines a fraction higher would make a difference. I'm sure you know what I mean! "Give us back our tinies" was the cry of Victorian audiences when child actors were threatened with being sent to school and removed from the stage. Well, we certainly were given them back in this production. It made full use of the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance. The teenie-weenies enchanted, delighted and performed their routines with precision. A professional performance from young girls schooled to perfection. The production sparkled from curtain up, and speeded along with pace that prevented any yawns from the smallest theatregoers, but it lost its way towards the end. There were some high moments of comedy but Dick, stay on the telly! Dick Whittington runs at the Theatre Royal Bath from Thursday 16 December 2004 to Sunday 23 January 2005.
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