Review: A man, a cat, a Dramatic Club and a whole lot of laughs

Sunday 07 January 2018

Funny, colourful, entertaining and at times caustic, this year's Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club (JADC) pantomime is guaranteed to make you laugh whatever your age, as they tell the story of Dick Whittington.

Written and directed by Gareth Thomas, the pantomime will run at the Arts Centre until 14 January.

The 39-strong cast of the JADC takes the audience on a trip from London to Morocco. The play follows the footsteps of Richard 'Dick' Whittington and his talking cat, Tom, played by Kelly Box and David Scott. Hapless and broke in London, Dick falls asleep on the steps of a shop in central London. He is awoken by Alderman Firzwarren (Matthew Price) and his daughter, Alice (Jennie Crocker) and his life takes a turn for the better.

Pictured: Tom the Cat (David Scott) with Dick Whittington (Kelly Box) in the background. (Steve Taylor)

From getting a job, making new friends, including Idle Jack (Harry Baines) and the delightful Delia Dumpling (Ian Barette), and sailing to Morocco, Dick and Tom experience many adventures. But it is not a smooth cruise - there is even a shipwreck - and Dick has to fight the odds to get what he wants.

Through ups and downs throughout, one thing is definitely not missing. The JADC kept its promise of 'family fun and laughs' and they were definitely a lot of chuckles throughout the performance. All members of the audience, whether young or old, were left in stitches at various points in the performance - but maybe not at the same time.

While the subtle digs at the States, the mention of a Montfort Mézec exiled by Ian Gorst or of magical power who 'don't work at sea like the Liberation' might have flown over the heads of the younger members of the audience, they certainly made the adults burst out laughing. So did Queen Rat (Debbie Taylor) - worse than the Planning Committee by her own admission - and the jokes that the main character's first name inevitably attracted. Adults also enjoyed the many references to other movies and songs and chuckled at the subtle nods to Star Wars, Star Trek and Ryan Adams' songs.

Pictured: Spoiler alert, the adventures of Dick Whittington and his cat include a lightsaber fight.

As for kids, they screamed with delight at Dick to warn him of thieves or to ask for sweets, but seemed to equally enjoyed booing the Queen Rat and her rodent court and screamed for sweets.

The enthusiasm of some even made it difficult at times for the actors to carry on with the script - such as when some were screaming for a 'real kiss' between Dick/Kelly Box and Alice/Jennie Croker. "It's the afternoon," Kelly joked.

Spectators of all ages were left roaring with laughter at any appearance of Delia Dumpling and her outlandish dresses. Played by Ian Barette, Dame Delia had the audience howling when she gave a close-up of her undergarments and whenever she opened her mouth. A pure delight indeed.

Pictured: Delia Dumpling (Ian Barrette) giving a close-up of her undergarments.

The Grey Twins, played by Hamish Brodie and Harrison Butler, also gave a very promising performance, which included singing, tap-dancing and scaring the audience by creeping up the stairs of the theatre. 

The performance also included musical interludes with all the cast which were made all the more enjoyable by a quintet of young dancers, Roseanna Le Conte, Clara Baines, Zoe Haydon,  Eloise Peace, Cerys Banks and Amber Wagg.

This year's offering from JADC is fun, entertaining, and the perfect cure to beat out the winter's gloom.

Pictured: The Queen Rat and her rodent crowd, including the Grey Twins, Hamish Brodie and Harrison Butler.

The cast is playing again at 14:30 today, but there are performances at 19:30 on 11 and 12 January, as well as 11:00 and 14:30 on 13 January. The last performance will be next Sunday, 14 January at 14:30.