Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper’s hilariously irreverent retelling of Dick Whittington will return to Above The Stag from November to January.
Briefly seen last year in an acclaimed, Covid-curtailed run, the show will be brought bang up to date, with regular Above The Stag panto director Andrew Beckett again at the helm.
After years of much-praised, sell-out smashes, Above The Stag’s acclaimed pantomime team are back with their rude, riotous and unashamedly romantic take on the ultimate London legend!
Like many a gay country lad, Dick comes to the big city in search of men and money. But just as Londoners are getting back on their feet, dastardly mayoral candidate Queen Rat and her minions rise up to bite them in the ankles! When she frames Dick for a terrible crime, Dick stiffens himself for a great adventure. Can he clear his name, win back his boy and defeat Queen Rat before she brings London to its knees – and not in a good way?
Packed with all the popular panto traditions, original songs and a cornucopia of dick jokes, Dick Whittington: A New Dick In Town! is a fabulously filthy and hilariously happy winter treat.
Audience favourite Matthew Baldwin will return as the pantomime’s dame, Sarah Fitzwarren of Fitzwarren’s Undertakers, where she works hard to “put the fun into funerals”. Sarah is the latest in Baldwin’s popular run of fearsomely funny dame incarnations.
He says, “During our rather shortened run last year, even with distanced audiences and all sorts of restrictions we managed to fill the room with laughter. I can’t wait to see what happens when the gloves truly come off!” Further casting is to be announced.
This is Bradfield and Hooper’s twelfth panto for LGBT+ venue Above The Stag Theatre, their ninth with director Andrew Beckett (who directed the OFFIE Best New Musical-winning Grindr: The Opera) and their tenth with designer David Shields (Heathers: The Musical). Selling out every year, the team’s shows have grown into a London institution, inspiring a wave of adult and alternative pantomimes across the city.
Costumes are by Sandy Lloyd and Robert Draper, with lighting by Jamie Platt, sound by Paul Gavin, musical direction by Aaron Clingham and choreography by Carole Todd.
Dick Whittington will run at Above The Stag 2 November 2021 – 16 January 2022. Tickets are on sale here.
