Dick Whittington and his Cat – Hackney Empire, Hackney

Writer: Will Brenton 
Director: Clive Rowe

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Traditional“

3 / 5

The Hackney Empire pantomime is now in its 25^th year – bringing Christmas joy, puntastic panto and of course, the wonderful Clive Rowe in his annual role of a dazzling dame. This year, the show is Dick Whittington and his Cat – a great way to mark the beginning of a Meowry Christmas! 

Following the classic rags-to-riches tale – Dick Whittington (Kandaka Moore) goes off on a quest to London after hearing the streets are paved with gold, instead finding the city overrun with rats, led by the evil King Rat (Graham MacDuff) who’s intent on taking over the town and all that’s left in it. Can Whittington and his trusty Tommy the Cat (Kat B) save the day?! Cue a resounding panto-esque ohhhhh yes, they can! 

As always, the flawless Rowe is the sensational star of the show, with costume designer Cleo Pettitt creating the usual over the top, fantastic looks that elevate every single scene with a wow moment. This year – Rowe’s dame is Sarah the Cook, introduced to the crowd in a saucy, tomato inspired costume, reeling off food puns and interacting with the audience in the wonderfully vibrant and fun manner that regulars to the Hackney Empire pantos have become accustomed to.  

Outside of this, the storyline itself, falls a little flatter this year, with some of the bigger characters such as Kat B, getting an uncharacteristically quiet role, and some of the other supporting cast not getting a chance to shine as much as they normally would, which is somewhat disappointing as it normally feels a lot more evenly distributed! It still has all of the traditional panto ingredients (pie to the face, he’s behind you etc) but feels somewhat formulaic rather than original and punchy like it normally does. That being said, it’s still a brilliantly fun show, that all the family can enjoy – whether it’s the creatively designed set, or the big, catchy musical numbers, it’s a great way to kick off the festive season.  

Runs until 5th January 2025