REVIEW
Dick Whittington at Plaza Theatre, RomseY

 

SET within the confines of the wonderful Art Deco Plaza Theatre in Romsey lives a troupe of hard-working and enthusiastic amateurs.

As colourful as they are charming, the delightful Romsey Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society members are lively and keen to entertain, if nothing else.

And so proves their ongoing production of Dick Whittington, the closing night of which is January 24. This quirky rendition of the panto classic includes a great deal of audience participation as well as a number of colourful characters.

Sarah the cook – the quintessential man-in-drag character required in almost every panto – had more costume changes than I’ve had hot dinners, each more elaborate than the first, and a sense of humour that appealed to both the young and older members of the audience.

The singing was first-class and many performers showed quite a professional level of talent. The star of the show was undoubtedly the Rat King with his very glittery waistcoats and one of the best “evil laughs” I’ve heard, coupled with puppet-like movement.

This rendition also included one clever scene that had children and adults rolling in the aisles with the “deep-sea” scene. A set of UV-painted fish puppets swam across the blacked-out stage behind them as they were chased by a cunning starfish.

While some might sneer at the term “Am Dram” I myself thought this was a good effort and well worth every penny.

Lauren Howard