It is a special year both for Jonathan Wilkes and the Regent Theatre as the pair celebrate 20 years of panto magic together. This is now a pairing made in panto land heaven and a festive season without Jonathan and his crew performing at the Regent would be like Christmas Day without a visit from Santa. And for this special occasion it was really good to see the terrific trio of Wilkes, Christian Patterson and Kai Owen back together to do what they do best – put on a show specially designed for the people of North Staffordshire.
This year it is the under-used Dick Whittington that has received the nod to showcase the wonder of Wilkes. With the traditional storyline not the best known, it leaves plenty of scope for re-imagination and in this version, it is not the streets of London that are paved with gold but the Potteries pavements.
Jack (Wilkes) travels to the Six Towns with his faithful cat Tommy (Marlee Jay) and his mother Sarah (Patterson) where he meets and falls in love with the owner of the Sweet and Oatcake shop Alice Fitzwarren (Samara Casteallo).
Alice is the custodian of the chains of office for the Lord Mayor and – according to the prophecy of The Spirit of Burslem Bells (Gina Warren) – Jack will one day be the proud wearer of those very chains.
However, Jack must overcome the opposition of King Rat (Owen) who has ambitions to take control of the city himself. Will the Spirit’s spells be enough to help Jack to thwart the rotten rodent’s plans and a potentially disastrous storm while on board SS Stokie? The audience certainly has a lot of fun in finding the answer to those questions.
As ever, Wilkes has the audience in the palm of his hands from his first entrance and surely there can be no better Dame in the business than Patterson. Owen plays a villain par excellence and the way that these three capture the audience makes it so easy for Regent debutants to join in the fun and frolics.
Jay is as agile and acrobatic as any cat could be while Murray and Casteallo are both delightful with excellent voices. Add in an ensemble that is full of movement and energy and a script crafted for the locals and you have all of the ingredients necessary for an unforgettable Christmas treat.
Johnny had always promised that his twenty years would be celebrated in style and he certainly lived up to his words. The set and costumes were of West End quality and it was ensured that many of the greatest comedic hits from the past were replayed. The Twelve Days of a Stokie Christmas was particularly well received and with a wow moment happening within the first five minutes the audience – both young and old – were soon wrapped in the entertainment and there were many opportunities for them to participate in the proceedings.
It is acknowledged that attending a Jonathan Wilkes pantomime is a must-do experience for all born within the sound of the bells of Stoke Minster – and other churches of the parish, of course – and it is a rite of passage when a parent sees their child understand all of the innuendo going on!! – and Dick Whittington must rank among the Company’s best to date. I have no doubt that there will be many more opportunities in the future for Johnny and his team to outdo even this perfect panto.
The streets of Stoke may not be paved with gold but the Regent stage most definitely is. There have been some fabulous productions during the Autumn season but Dick Whittington is the icing on a very satisfying cake. The relationship between Johnny’s team and the audiences that flock to see them is something that money just cannot buy. Roll on Cinderella in 2025.
