Review: Dick Whittington at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

In theatreland, the nearness of Christmas means just one thing – panto time. And at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury, that's a cause for celebration and no little craziness.

Shrewsbury's panto is the most successful in Shropshire – this year alone an estimated 28,000 people will flood into the riverside theatre to enjoy pastiche and tomfoolery from a tried and tested ensemble led by the inimitable Brad Fitt.

And mighty good tomfoolery it is, too. This year's show – Dick Whittington – begins before the curtain goes up as a troupe of dancers fill the front seats with an early-doors routine that gets the crowd warmed up. God help those members of the audience who don't take their seats in time – they may well find themselves involved in an impromptu sing-and-dance.

And from there, it's two hours of non-stop hilarity.

The show is more than the sum of its parts, though panto dame Brad Fitt is the first among equals. At times, he didn't so much steal the limelight and tie a big lasso around it and fly it to the moon. Fitt is hilarious. With more costume changes than Diana Ross and a delivery that's at times even-more-droll than Jack Dee, he's non-stop funny.

But though the script's pretty good, if not a little tame for the benefit of da kidz, the finest moments are when the cast go off piste and do their own thing. Fitt appeared to do so on one occasion when he pushed a wheelbarrow full of sweets off via the wrong stage exit. The barrow became wedged, so Fitt wandered back on stage, just as Dick Whittington and Alice Fitzwarren were about to sing a song. He hung out with them, talking about fried eggs in a field, as you do. They appeared neither to know what to do nor where to look – Dick, played adroitly by Josh James, was beside himself with laughter. It was panto gold.

Fitt has been there before, of course. He's part of the furniture at Theatre Severn, as is the venerable Eric Smith, best known for his stints on BBC Radio Shropshire. Smith doesn't have Fitt's comedic gifts, but plays a steady and assured straight man to Fitt's goofy Jack Dee-meets-Eddie Izzard dame. The pair of them work well together, egging each other on with great intuition.

The story is one we all know and love. Dick rocks up in London with nothing more than a cat – who, incidentally, was deliciously funny. The cat was named Maureen, while we're at it. And I'm pretty sure neither the cat, nor Josh James, as Dick Whittington, was aware of that before they took the stage – it was supposed to be called Tommy. Such is the way of panto.

James was confident and avoided taking anything too seriously. He played his love scenes well with the gorgeous and attractive Jemma Carlisle, as Alice. The audience found it easy to follow them on their journey to living happily ever after.

There were several other notables. Ben Thornton, as the ship's captain, was at his best while duelling with Fitt. Their schtick – repeating a set-up for a joke, then slam-dunking the punch line – was joyous. The sultan of Morocco was the resident beefcake – some of the female teachers in the audience probably found themselves blushing more than just a little when he flexed his pecs.

Vikki Stone, as Fairy Bowbells, was also good value. Her solo song was a highlight – who knew girls in silver Dr Martens could play the piano so well. King Rat, meanwhile, was wiry and physical and had a damn good voice when given the chance to shine. The junior dancers – and cast dancers – were also impressive. Well-rehearsed, sharp and tight, they helped create a delightful festive celebration.

There was plenty of audience interaction and an unfortunate teacher from Shrewsbury Prep School bore the brunt of Fitt's continual banter throughout. The poor man was ribbed so mercilessly and relentlessly that he eventually moved seat – though Fitt collared him and baited him all the more.

Talented, quirky and funny, Dick Whittington will serve Theatre Severn well in coming weeks. It's a crackerjack show, one that families can enjoy as Christmas fast approaches.

What's that from the back: 'Oh no they can't….'

You're wrong – they absolutely can.