Wales Community Theatre Players give the Montgomery Theatre – Sheffield audience a heart-warming pantomime that is traditional in every way with a fast moving script, detailed direction and some excellent performances. Dick Whittington by arrangement with Stage Right Creative Ltd and written by Alan P Frayn takes us on Dick’s quest to make his fortune with the lure of London’s streets paved with gold, but after meeting Tom, who becomes his travelling companion ,he finds more rotten rats than glistening gold on his journey. But, with the help of his new found friends (the horde of traditional panto characters) much laughter, a sprinkle of fairy stardust and panto magic, a voyage on the seas, a 3D shipwreck, a funny, fantastical frolic is had by all…. except the rats of course!
The well written script is littered with family gags galore and some tongue in cheek moments for the adults. Directed by Ashley Booker with Gwen Walker as Choreographer and Musical Direction by Ray Gallagher the production team do a fine job creating a hugely humorous show with characters that solidly defined the tradition. A traditional pantomime – the narrator and fairy, the messy baking scene, the children invited onto stage to sing the obligatory silly song and the ‘he’s behind you’ moment and then there’s the modern twist of adding a 3D spectacular. The audience are given 3D glasses to experiences the under the sea shipwreck with its piranhas and sharks! Very effective and more than a few duck down in your seat moments!
The Set has the traditional Pantomime backdrops which are lit by TD Lighting. Chris Preston on Sound ensures that the balance between the five strong band blends well with the performers on stage and the sound as a whole ensures the audience doesn’t miss any of the breakneck speed gags!
It is lovey to see the twelve strong adult ensemble joined on stage by eleven young performers who give their all, working hard and sounding well as a collective vocal chorus, their dance is slick and they are engaged and responsive at all times. It is Paul Burgess as Idle Jack that has the audience eating out of his hands and telling him ‘to pull his socks up Jack’ throughout the performance with some very novel socks on show! Burgess has grown into a very confident, professional and natural comedic performer – likeable, easy with the audience, great with the kids and a friend to all – his humility shines through, I was very impressive by his performance. The traditional dame, Dame Dolly Dumpling played by BBC’s journalist, reporter and presenter Tom Ingall returns to the stage this year loud and brash – obviously he is enjoying himself as much as his audience. His swimming attire is quite something to behold this year (I don’t think the image will ever leave my head!) Toni Cook (Dick Whittington) and Eve Rowles (Alice Fitzwarren) make a strong pairing with their love interest. Alderman Fitzwarren (Joseph Bairstow) is a strong performer with some interesting dance moves and some tongue twisters of lines! The comedy is nonstop between Captain Cuttlefish (Lee Phillips) and the hilarious and stage stealing Dan Schofield as Scupper, the speed of their dad jokes is blinding and Schofield’s physicality is on pointe. The role of the Sultan was played by the director Ashley Booker on the night of my visit and his Yorkshire accent was greeted with hilarity.
Faye Wood as Fairy Bowbells keeps the audience on track and informed. She gives a well-rounded and beguiling vocal performance which is a delight to hear. Alison Wade excels in her evil role as Queen Rat with strong characterised dialogue and a great singing voice. Her underlings Scratch (Elliot McHale) and Sniff (Khloe McMillan) are very polished and engaging in their role and are definitely ones to keep your eyes on as they mature. Beth Wade in her first principal role as Tom (The Cat) makes the role her own with a strong, sassy performance and ample opportunity to show her dance prowess. An impressive first outing by Beth and a great role model for the younger children.
The humour in this show is constant with the one liners, innuendos, physicality and ad libs galore, giving the audience not a moment to relax. Wales Community Theatre Players give the audience a great night’s entertainment with their well-matched and rehearsed cast and their well-defined traditional pantomime characters. A real family and community orientated production – just as pantomime should be!
So, from myself, my husband and my 8-year-old Granddaughter (who was invited onto stage and loved the sweets she got as a thank you) – May we thank you for your kind invitation to attend – we had a lovely evening and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We are really looking forward to your next production – Show Stoppers – The Best of the Best at The Lyric, Dinnington – 1st to 4th July 2026. (Box Office: www.walesctp.com or 0114 383 0383)
Reviewer: Tracey Bell
Reviewed: 16th January 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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