STORY:  London's famous Mayor, Dick Whittington, was born over six hundred years ago into a wealthy Gloucester family. Sent to London to learn a trade, he made his fortune as a Mercer, lending money to King Richard II and doing charitable work for the poor, such as financing St Bartholomew's Hospital and Newgate Jail and improving the city's water supply. He was appointed Lord Mayor of London by the King in 1397 and elected Mayor three times thereafter. In this action-packed new pantomime version of Debbie Campbell's musical we meet some of the characters young Dick would have met :  Romany Gypsies, jolly craftsmen, cheeky urchins, Sir Ivo Fitzwarren, a rich sea merchant, and his lovely daughter Alice. Folklore has it that plagued by rats and bullied by the Fitzwarren's housekeeper, Dick acquires a clever cat that gets rid of the rats and then sells itself to an exotic Barbary Queen. Eventually the cat returns to Dick, bringing him untold riches and success. Whether this is true or not, a memorial to Dick Whittington and his cat still stands on Highgate Hill.

Key Stages 1 – 3  (age 5 – 14) ; Duration approximately 1 hour ;  Cross Curricular Aspects include science, geography, citizenship, social education, music, dance, drama, art and design

CAST:  to suit the number of performers available, the cast size is flexible with ca 35 speaking/singing parts and a variety of choruses ;  * = solo/small group singing part ;  ^ = solo/small group speaking part

Dick Whittington, Mayor of London as a boy*/ man*;   Gypsy Family – Ma*, Pa*, Milo, Kizzie, Luca, Lala, Rosie;  Esmeralda, horse, played by two actors, front^ and back ;  Craftsmen – Cobbler*, Tailor*, Tinker*, Barber*; Mrs Sourdough, Cook*^;  Alice Fitzwarren, sea merchant’s daughter as a girl*/woman*^;  Urchins – Sparrow^, Jackdaw^, Magpie^, Starling^; Mr Fitzwarren, Sea Merchant*^;  Crew – Bagabones^, Quartermaster ^, Coxswain (Coks'n) ^, Boatswain (Bos'n) ^, Riggers ^, Swabbies ^, Cabin Boy ^;  Mistress Bowbells, Cat-Seller* ; Tommy, Dick’s cat ^;  Sultana, Barbary Queen* and Saffron, her Servant ^;  Choruses – Townsfolk, Rats, Cats, Sailors, Barbary Dancers

SONGS:  thirteen songs and dances explore a wide diversity of musical styles including folk, jazz, rap, sea shanty, African, ballad, waltz and march. Please click the buttons to hear the songs and see pictures of a performance at Jackson's Lane Theatre.

		Little Boy Lost – Traveller/Chorus
		Somewhere in Between – Craftsmen
		Wicked City – Urchins
		I’m the Boy for You – Dick/Mr Fitzwarren
		The Rat Rap – Mrs Sourdough/Rats
		Cats for Sale – Cat Seller
		Heave Ho, Me Hearties – Sailors/Mr Fitzwarren
		In the Land of Africa – Barbary Queen/Dancers
		I Will Give You a Diamond – Barbary Queen
		Turn Again Whittington – Chorus
		That’s What We Want – Chorus

 

Please note that all of the materials on this page are protected by copyright. It is illegal to photocopy or otherwise reproduce them. Block licences, such as PRS or CCL, do not apply. All performances and recordings must be licenced as shown below.

CONVENIENT PROJECT and PERFORMANCE PACKS   SAVE TIME + MONEY + STRESS :

 

	Project Pack Everything necessary for a class or group of up to 24 children: Score, 24 Scripts and one extra CD with vocal and backing tracks £58.00
	Single Performance Licence Please click on the image to view terms and conditions. £30.00 Additional Performance £12.00 each Recording Licence – non-commercial, each £1.00
	One-stop Performance Pack Everything necessary for a successful performance of this musical, involving some 35 singing and speaking parts with a variety of choruses: Score, 36 Scripts, three CDs and Performance Posters plus the necessary Licence valid for unlimited performances within one month. £145.00
	Score 48 pages plus covers, includes the score, costume and staging ideas, plus one CD with vocal and backing tracks.  For sample pages please click the cover. £18.00
	Script and Project Book 32 pages each, A5, shrink-wrapped in packs of twelve. Includes the new action-packed Pantomime as well as the original script. £28.00
	CD Three-Pack Vocal and backing tracks with a wide variety of voices, instruments and sound effects for rehearsals, performances and listening. £18.00