Cast of 2017 panto Dick Whittington announced!

The annual Pantomime is arguably the biggest event in any theatrical calendar, this year Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds are staging a production of Dick Whittington and we are thrilled to now be revealing the sterling cast.

Taking on the title role Dick Whittington is Jessica Spalis. Jessica has previously played panto at Theatre Royal as the lead in Aladdin and we are thrilled she is returning again this year. As the lovely dame Winona Whittington, who was sighted last week in the centre of Bury St Edmunds, is Chris Clarkson. Chris has been a highlight of previous pantomimes at Theatre Royal and has played dame for many other theatres so we are very excited to see more from his cheeky madam. Playing the story’s villain Sir Reginald Ratfiend will be Tom Roberts. Tom has never performed with Theatre Royal so we are very excited to be welcoming him for the first time, though he’ll have to expect a fairly bad reception playing the villain!

Starring as the magical godmother Fairy Pearl is Sarah Lawn. Sarah is very pleased to be at the beautiful Theatre Royal this Christmas and can currently be seen as Farmer Maisie in a spreadable cheese commercial. As the hero’s love interest Alice Fitzwarren is Tessa Kadler. This show will be amongst Tessa’s first professional productions having just recently graduated from Guildford School of Acting. Playing a double role as the twin brothers Francis & Ferdinand Fitzwarren is Nigel Lister. It should be a delight to see how he handles two very different characters in one show.

As Dick’s faithful sidekick Tommy the Cat is Corey Cross. A keen dancer who has given his energy to many a performance including X-Factor, Comic Relief and Children In Need, this cat is definitely going to have some moves! Lastly as the villain’s henchman Nibbles is Nerine Skinner. Nerine has most recently been working with a close friend to create a stand-up comedy duo who have taken two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in recent years.

Dick Whittington has been written by Chris Hannon and will be directed by Theatre Royal’s Artistic Director, Karen Simpson. This will be Karen’s fourth pantomime since she joined the company.

This traditional style family pantomime is an in-house production by Theatre Royal and runs between Fri 1 Dec and Sun 14 Jan. There is a BSL interpreted performance Wed 13 Dec at 2pm and a relaxed performance Fri 12 Jan 2018 1:30pm, please see the website for full details of both.

Director Karen Simpson said ‘We once again have a wonderful cast for panto.  There are some talented and familiar faces from the last couple of years returning with some really exciting actors working here for the very first time’.

Tickets are on sale now plus the gala performance Sun 10 Dec, which includes goody bags for the children, ice-creams, programmes, a fancy dress competition, live music and entertainment pre-show, drinks, treats and light refreshments – all included in the ticket price. There are also numerous special offers available throughout the run.

 

Tickets and more information available https://www.theatreroyal.org/shows/dick-whittington/

Or call the Box Office on 01284 769505