New take on a classic

Dick Whittington and his Cat

A pantomime written by Roger Hall (mostly) Directed by Chris McKenzie Presented by Repertory Theatre Reviewed by Paul Brooks

Panto is usually a lot of fun and Repertory’s presentation of Dick Whittington and his Cat

was no exception.

The story is more flexible than the original Dick Whittington legend, in that young Dick (Heath McKenzie) and his cat (Isabelle McKenzie) leave Mother Whittington (Phil Hudson) and rural Ha¯ wera to seek fame and fortune in Wellington.

There’s a villain, of course, in multiple characters — King Rat, Jack Tar, Art, Captain Tendor — all played by Richard Leith.

The mayor of Wellington, Mr Fitzwarren (David Craig) has a daughter Alice (Charlee Elgar). Dick meets and falls in love with Alice and therein lies the story.

A good cast meets a good script, moulded by a superb director, moved along by good music, serviced by efficient (and sometimes funny) stagehands and appreciated by a large, responsive audience — the perfect combination.

Most of the cast appreciated the nuances of comic timing. Phil Hudson is a superb dame. His ability to ad-lib helps and his stage presence is formidable.

On Friday night a young girl in the audience played her part well as a foil for the dame, interacting with the cast. Phil responded well, listening, answering and, by doing so, made the young lass part of the act.

Heath McKenzie’s Dick Whittington was excellent. He brought energy to the role. He and the cat worked well together, and, later, Heath formed a good partnership with Charlee Elgar.

Isabelle McKenzie was perfect as the cat. Apart from incredible make-up and costume, she used facial expressions to communicate a lot.

Richard Leith makes a great baddie. Using panto villain voices and gestures, he set himself up for catcalls, boos and hisses. He loved it.

Charlee was ideal as the love interest: The girl chased by the villain and the innocent good guy. As Alice she dominated the romantic bits and looked suitably confused when faced with the facts about her pursuers.

Big applause for comedy duo Ethel and Cecil, played by Ashlyn Morris and Maddi McKenzie. They popped up in every scene as the same characters but with new roles. They worked extremely well together.

David Craig, who played two mayors and an island chief, was excellent in all roles, and what a voice! Reminiscent of the caricatured Shakespearean actor, he boomed to the back row with ease and used those magnificent pipes to their best advantage.

Nice to see Ian Jones back on stage and more so to hear him sing. His role was small but not insignificant.

Thanks also to comedic stagehands Tori Whibley and Ronan Shaw — no dialogue but lots to say in a funny way.

And yes, Maia Hudson was cute as the kitten!

Full marks to all backstage, producing a fine array of props, sets and costumes, and to Shontae Arthur who played piano non-stop throughout — great job.

Dick Whittington and His

Cat is on this Thursday and Friday at 6.30pm and on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm at Repertory Theatre in Ridgway St.