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Dick Whittington Panto @ The Regent Theatre -Review
On Friday our Churnet Sound Theatre Reviewing Family hit Hanley.
The Venue was the amazing Regent Theatre.
It`s that time of year - PANTO TIME " Oh Yes It I!"
Our family of reviewers consisted of one adult and three children aged 8 - 14 years old.
This year`s panto at the Regent wasn`t just any old performance, it was Johnny Wilkes 20th Year at the helm.
The Stokie legend has tread the boards at the Regent for a star studded 20 years.
Wilkes has played many lead roles in the past (19 infact) and this year he was cast as Dick Whittington.
From entering the auditorium our family were very impressed with the Regent`s attentive staff and efforts that had been made to transform the theatre into a glittering array of festive fantastic-ness.
As well as celebrating 20 years on stage in Stoke this year Wilkes was back with his Welsh sidekick Christian Patterson.
Patterson was cast as Sarah the Cook , Dick`s Mother.
The pair both made several references to the fact they hadn`t worked together for a number of years and were tickled pink to be back together again.
Christian wowed the audience with his/her dazzling collection of OTT dresses and costumes throughout the panto and their repertoire of slapstick jokes and funny innuendos kept everyone tittering all night.
It`s no secret that Wilkes and Patterson are good mates on and off stage , the dynamic Duo were on top form this year delivering gag after gag , leaving our family in stitches all night...
No pantomime would be complete without a Christmas Fairy or in this case the , The Spirit of the Burslem Bells.
Actress Gina Murray appeared with lashings of flashes , bangs and fairy dust throughout the show. Gina was the continuity host ensuring everyone was kept up to speed on the story line.
The whole theme was loosely based on the tale of Dick Whittington but with a definite Six Towns twist!
As we all know the rats are a staple feature of the Dick Whittington story and the biggest rat of them all was a regular Regent Panto favourite - Kai Owen playing King Rat.
Owen has starred alongside many times before and it's clear to see the chemistry and friendship that exists between them.
King Rat and his rodent sidekicks were trying their hardest to take over the city of Stokie and steal the lord mayor's chain from the Oatcake and Sweetie Shop.
The shop is ran by the cute and adorable Alice Fitzwarren - played by Samara Casteallo.
Alice captures the hearts of us all including intoxicating our main Character Dick.
By the end of the story Alice fell for his charms and fancied a bit of Dick in her life , a happy ending indeed.
There is always a love story in a panto and Alice and Dick were ready to star in this romance novel.
Dick Whittington is accompanied by his feline friend , Marlee Jay as Tommy the Cat
Marlee stunned us all with his Perrrrr-fect dance moves , backflips and overall energy.
Tommy/Marlee is definitely the coolest cat in Stoke.
One thing that all our family of reviewers loved was the abundance of chemistry , friendship and connection the cast shared on stage.
It was apparent from the very first scene that all the actors/actresses really enjoyed what they were doing and were all part of the
Stokie Panto Family.
From water pistols , to flying toilet rolls , silly songs , family friend innuendos to classic slapstick Panto jokes , Dick Whittington
kept everyone from crying with laughter.
Wilkes gets some yearly criticism from a minority of online keyboard warriors for his yearly constant appearances ,But as the old say goes " If it ain`t broken , Dunna Fix it".
Johhny`s passion , energy and enthusiasm shows no signs of fading and in fact a lof of the audience said it was his best performance yet!
A special mention must go to the talented Dance Ensemble from the Wilkes Academy , it`s rare to see such pure skill with all the performers in complete synergy.
A Myriad of costumes , characters , and dance styles all experty choreographed and delivered with such visual perfection.
The Regent Theatre Technical Team never fails to deliver , the Sound , Lighting and special FX during the show were top notch and added to the whole magic of the story.
Our family simply loved Dick Whittington at the Regent Theatre , we would recommend booking your tickets ASAP to avoid disappointment .
Dick Whittington runs until the Sunday 5th January 2025.
Visit the ATG Website for more information and to book your tickets
