Dick Whittington – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Writer and Director: Iain Lauchlan

Celebrating 30 years of being an integral part of The Belgrade’s Pantomime, Iain Lauchlan once again returns to write, direct and play the dame on the theatre’s main stage. Dick Whittington is this year’s offering, telling the story of Dick, a Coventry lad who is London bound to find his fortune. Little does Dick know that his faithful cat, Tommy, has magically followed him and chaos ensues when it is discovered the city is overrun with rats. As ever with this local show, there is silliness, there is romance and there is the inevitable disaster, both planned and unplanned…oh, and don’t forget the goats ghosts.

Lauchlan (Dame Sarah) and Craig Hollingsworth’s (Idle Jack) reign on the Belgrade Panto stage is one that goes from strength to strength each year. The audience may know full well what gags are coming, but we are poised and ready to laugh all the same, knowing that the pair will find a way to put a slightly new spin on what has become so familiar. They shine on their own but then come to life when on stage together, each bouncing off the other’s energy and throwing everything into their double act. Some of their new material seems a little toned down and irrelevant this year, and the songs don’t quite hit the usual ‘singing it for weeks’ mark, but the traditional scenes are still a treat and it’s always a joy to see them having such a good time on stage. Lois Brook is a very strong Dick Whittington and it comes as a huge surprise to discover it is her pantomime debut! She fits in with Hollingsworth and Lauchlan perfectly and you would be forgiven for thinking she had worked alongside them for years.

Andy Hockley plays an incredibly likeable baddie as King Rat and captivates the audience from the moment he is booed onto the stage. His malevolent mannerisms, devious delivery and scheming charisma command attention and often steal the show. He does somewhat overshadow his goodie counterpart, Fairy Bowbells (Gabriela Harris), who doesn’t quite rise to the challenge. Her performance is far stronger as cockney Bowbells than as fair maiden Alice, however, as it is there her performance really seems clipped and unnatural at times.

Sam Woods plays a charming, almost Macavity-esque, Tommy the Cat and is a pleasure to watch throughout, with Aonghas Ewen equally as pleasing as Scratch the rat – his camp musical outbursts being a welcome inclusion to the rest of the madness.

The usual expected scenes are well executed, even when relying somewhat on audience participation and getting very lucky with an unsuspecting victim. If I was Not in Pantomime is by far the highlight of the evening, and even with its predictability, leaves a whole auditorium belly laughing for the duration as the utter ridiculousness of it builds.

Some dated references aside, Dick Whittington doesn’t disappoint. The jokes flow, the rapport never falters and the glow-in-the-dark scenes are as imaginative as ever. The Belgrade Panto has a certain comfort factor and the charm of such a winning formula wins everyone over. Lauchlan’s 30-plus years really do shine through.

Runs until 4 January 2025