Dick Whittington, Dolman Theatre (From South Wales Argus)

Dick Whittington, Dolman Theatre

3:01pm Thursday 16th February 2012 in Entertainments By Sarah Wigmore

ON a cold February night there’s no better way to light up the winter gloom than by watching a pantomime.

And this week Newport Pantomime and Musical Society present Dick Whittington at the Dolman Theatre, just in time for half-term.

This is the first time the society has performed in February rather than the traditional Christmas slot and it’s proved to be a big hit with Newport theatre-goers.

In front of a packed audience the sinister King Rat, played by Chris Powell, sets the scene and fairy Kelly Sheppard transports you into the wonderful world of panto.

From there you are treated to the delightful singing voice of Lee-Rose Walsh as Dick Whittington who is well paired with Rosie Mark as Alice.

The role of panto dame was filled by Gerald Needs as Sarah Suet who was assigned all the cheesy jokes, but with Ryan Salter as Idle Jack and a sing-along to Have A Banana, everyone was in a good mood.

The true star of the show was Mr Mussel whose over the top actions and comical facial expressions got the real laughs. Actress Kerry Morgan really engaged with younger audience members and made every child giggle with her antics as the sidekick of Captain Cockle.

This show deserves praise for the amount of audience interaction offered. As well as the ‘he’s behind you’ moments there were sing-alongs, prizes and actors running into the audience throughout the show. This meant the show never lost pace and kept the audience in a great mood throughout the entire performance.

Dick Whittington will be showing until February 19th