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Panto Review: Dick Whittington and His Cat (Hackney Empire)

Review by Josip Martinčić


⭐️⭐️⭐️


Now in its 25th year, the Hackney Empire panto is a staple of not only Hackney’s holiday season, but all of London’s. On press night, the streets were, sadly but unsurprisingly, not paved with gold but with rain. However, no amount of rain could dampen the mood of the packed theatre where the eager audience, of all ages, readily received all that this Dick Whittington had to offer! 



Clive Rowe, the resident Dame of the Hackney Empire, is back for the 17th time, directing as well as giving us his Sarah The Cook. His energy is infectious and his stage presence commanding. His booming voice fills the auditorium and it is lovely to see someone doing something they are both great at and clearly love. The opportunity to go off script and play with the rest of the cast shows a really lovely relationship between them on and off stage, a comradery required to sustain the energy needed for the intense panto show schedule. 


Rowe struts around the stage in extravagant Dame costumes designed by Cleo Pettitt, each bigger and bolder than the last! Particular highlights include inanimate objects such as a cash register, bed and pepper grinder (que the jokes about an app), which make him look like an extra from the Beast’s enchanted castle from another popular pantomime. The costumes for the rest of the cast, however, didn’t match the level of the Dame’s, and the quality overall felt lacking finesse. The exception to this was the rat costumes, which were impressive, as was the black leather and buckles ensemble for the Rat King. 



The show is somewhat uneven, with Act 1 lasting nearly twice as long as Act 2, and it takes a while for it to warm up. The dances, choreographed by Shay Barclay, are mostly solid, simple musical staples. Rowe's Sarah The Cook leads the ensemble to a rousing rendition of “Food” from Oliver. The chorus, led by the dance captain Fraser Stewart, work well together, and the cast give it their all, delivering clean, energetic moves. Still, the first act felt like it dragged at times, and the second was much more tightly written and punchy, with an impressive shipwreck scene and a fluorescent underwater sequence which prompted a few gasps from the young audience members. 


The script, by Will Brenton and based on his and Rowe's ideas, makes only the odd current reference, opting instead for a deluge of puns and many innuendoes, sometimes rattled off at breakneck speed. Steven Edis, who has written the music for every Hackney Empire panto since 1998, returns to supply the soundtrack, which is comprised of some original songs, as well as covers of popular hits with lyric changes we expect from pantos. When he realised that the phrase ‘King Rat’ has the same number of letters as a certain Chappel Roan hit, he couldn’t resist a quick reference.



The cast give solid performances, with highlights including Kat B who, rather fittingly, plays the titular Cat! Beyond the obvious link with the name, he felt restrained by the limited role. His physicality fills the space and his short time on stage left me craving for more. Graham MacDuff, in his role as the Rat King, revels in the villainy and, without giving too much away, is given the chance to really show off his full range of characterisation and physicality. His gruff and powerful voice shines, particularly in the songs ‘Everybody’ (‘Backstreet’ to ‘Rat King’ is a satisfying lyric change) and an impressive cover of ‘Rain’ from Once on This Island. Kandaka Moore’s Dick is sweet and gentle, which makes it very easy for the audience to root for the character. 


All in all, this panto felt very by the book, with the elements we have come to expect. Clive Rowe’s dame has to be experienced in person, and Hackney Empire’s scheme to bring in schools and youth groups, as well as a discount for NHS & key workers, will make sure this happens. Children of all ages filled the seats, and it was lovely to hear grandparents, grandchildren and everyone in between getting into the festive spirit. Even the bar staff were singing along to the obligatory festive playlist as the audience were taking their seats. This is the magic of theatre at this time of year, and even the biggest Scrooge would have his frigid heart melted by the festive glow. 


Dick Whittington and His Cat plays at Hackney Empire until January 5th 2025



Photos by Mark Senior

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