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Dick Whittington poster

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Dick Whittington by Michael Vivian - Town Crier / King Neptune / Sultan of Morocco

- Derby Playhouse. Directed by Mark Clements.

A classic, old-fashioned panto at the Derby Playhouse by the writer / director team of Michael Vivian and Mark Clements. A terrifically silly and fast-moving (albeit very LONG) script that minimised the usual weak references to contemporary culture in favour of proper slapstick gags and lunatic situations.

A great cast was headed up by Michael Vivian himself as Billy, Teresa Gallagher as Dick, the ever-marvellous Claude Close as Alderman Fitzwarren and (a pre-Bounty advert) Ian Good as Sarah the Cook. Tony Timberlake made a suitably sneaky King Rat and a special mention must go to Eliza Adams's athletic and beautiful Tom Cat.

I had two cameo roles in the production, first as the town-crier (done in the style of Trevor McDonald!), and as King Neptune, in a wonderful ornate costume from the Playhouse wardrobe department, in the spectacular underwater scene. My main role, though, was as the Sultan of Morocco, unrecognisable in a huge black beard, turban and a gigantic padded costume. I grew to hate that costume!

While it looked fantastic it was very heavy. The central point of my second half performance was a ten-minute version of the old B-52s hit 'Love Shack', sung live and complete with full company dance routine involving much leaping about and running around the stage on the part of the love-crazed Sultan. This would have been tiring enough anyway, but doing it while wearing what amounted to a duvet meant that I finished the routine every performance drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, and wanting nothing more than a nice lie down! Sadly, I remained on stage for the rest of the performance (including the final big cast finale 'Tiger Feet'!) By the time the show's run finished the costume was a very definite presence in the dressing room too! Eeeeeww!

The cast were all really nice and the show was great fun to do, even with the usual extended run and multiple daily shows that panto usually involves, and the settings and special effects, as usual for Derby, were brilliantly conceived and very spectacular. I wish I could have done more shows at the Playhouse, but it was seemingly not to be. Never knew why.