“Dick Whittington and his Catford Cat” at Broadway Theatre – 11/12/25

I hate to start this post with a brag but I’m going to go for it. I took Reuben for a pre-theatre Nandos and, after quite some wrangling, managed to update the app and log in. Do you know what I found? Yes, dear readers I had the Red Reward of delight, which meant that Reuben’s meal was free. Forbid it that I should boast but I’m really quite pleased with myself. We also saw the Catford Cat, which is a must when in SE6, right?

Anyway, onto the main event which was the Catford panto in the gorgeous Art Deco Broadway Theatre. You really should go there just to look at the light fittings. The detail is stunning:

I’d read the press release for the panto,  which described it as “important and meaningful” and that made me slightly concerned that this might be one of those fun-free productions where everything is terribly worthy. But fear not….there were plenty of fart gags in among the meaningful bits. And I mean plenty

This was pure panto with everything you’d expect – pies in the face, a pantomime dame, random pop culture references and cheesy and/or slightly “blue” jokes. There was an important message, which I’ll get to, but there was lots of fun as well. I need not have worried.

The story of Dick Whittington transplants nicely onto the chosen setting – the arrival of the Windrush in 1948. I would say that the script plays fast and loose with this setting and there are scores of anachronisms, from ancient sailing ships to Jet2 Holidays references. But that’s all part of the fun and doesn’t detract from the themes of welcome and inclusion. The premise of the plot – a man seeking his fortune by coming to London from far away – is basically what happened with the Windrush Generation and the show doesn’t shy away from some of the challenges they faced.

Dick meets and falls in love with a white girl called Alice, which immediately seems like it’s going to cause issues in 1940s society. Cue a gorgeous version of “Rewrite the Stars” in harmony, as they decide they can overcome other people’s prejudice. Dick is accused of being a thief, which seems to underline the mistrust that black people face in society even today. This being panto, the actual culprit was a humanised cat hypnotised by a humanised rat. Boo hiss.

The show has a lot to say about the richness of diversity and pokes constant fun at Reform and the likes of Trump (represented by a pufferfish) and Nigel Farage (portrayed as a rat with a flatulence problem). In the face of constant rows about immigration, it’s a bold move to send such a clear message about the positive contributions that immigrants make. Potentially it’s alienating some right wing punters who might enjoy the more traditional content but I applaud the political stance the show takes and agree with the press release that this is an important message for these times.

There’s a strong cast – Aunt Sarah may joke “I don’t see any in this show” after someone says “I see stars” but she’s wrong on that. Dick is played by Durone Stokes and he’s a confident performer, with a smooth baritone voice and boundless energy. Alice is played by Fergie Fraser and her voice and energy compliments Dick’s nicely. The sound when the two of them sing together is pure magic.

Everyone’s favourite panto character is always the dame and Justin Brett fills the bloomers very nicely. He improvised a song during an audience participation segment – shout out to Dave the builder from Bromley – and was always on point with the innuendo and the melodrama. Ben Fox is a great foil for Aunt Sarah as Alderman Fitzwarren. The principal cast is rounded out with two more standout characters. The baddie of the piece is Natasha Lewis as Queen Rat, iconic with her sequins and belting vocals. And the wacky sidekick is that humanised cat Uncle Vincent, played by Wayne Rollins, channelling Danny John Jules from his Red Dwarf peak. Both Roo and I thought that and trust me, it’s  a compliment. 

I need to shout out to the ensemble too, who were superb every time they appeared. I’ve seen a lot of West End performers this year and this cast was just as good as any of them, both in terms of the dancing and the vocals (although I did wonder whether extra vocals were added off stage at some points). Whether they’re rats or fish or cheery cockneys, this group pulled it off.

There’s an eclectic soundtrack – as well as “Rewrite the Stars”, there are versions of “Something Inside So Strong”, “One Love”, “Roar” and “Flowers”. Plus there are a load of original songs, which more than stand up against the better-known tracks. The songs are written by Ben Goddard-Young, who multitasks throughout as keyboard player and musical director. 

It’s interesting to get Roo’s take on this – at 16 he’s a bit old for the fart gags and a bit young for the adult humour. But he very much enjoyed it – he joined in at all the right parts (“Oy oy Saveloy!”) and laughed at even the corniest of panto gags. As an extremely woke Gen Zer, he appreciated the digs at Reform (and a random barb at Liz Truss) and agreed with the message of the piece. He had a few nitpicks – especially around the physics of being able to survive underwater – but you’d expect that from a Physics A Level student. I wouldn’t advise trying to find logical errors in the plot….it’s a fairytale after all. He and I both agreed there could have been some “Hamilton” references shoehorned in, particularly in the opening scene of an immigrant standing at the bow of a ship heading to a new land, but yknow….theatre kids gotta theatre kid. 

So how to sum up this show? It’s a heady mix of frothy fun and prescient messaging, taking influences from everywhere and revelling in the chaos. There are a lot of local references – I have indeed climbed the hill they mention at the end of Act 1 – and those were warmly received by a diverse audience of community groups and local leaders. Both the mayor and MP were in attendance and both seemed to be having a great time. It was very much a celebration of Catford and South London – Aunt Sarah appears in a Lewisham-flag skirt at one point. Although we haven’t been South Londoners for a decade, it still warms the cockles to see a community being so proud of where they live and work. 

As it happens, we have visited the Broadway Theatre before but it was many moons ago and Roo doesn’t remember it. We met Chris and Pui and look how happy he was at the time:

His tastes might have moved on but he’s still happy to be at the theatre:

I forgot to mention earlier that the theatre also has a reconstruction of a Windrush-era living room in the foyer, right where that picture of Chris and Pui was taken. It’s fascinating and provoked quite some nostalgia in the people around us who were looking at it:

Anyway, if you’re looking for a trad panto with a modern message, this is for you. Especially if you live anywhere near South London. It’s a lot of fun and a great family outing….just watch out for that ocean spray near the end…!

“Dick Whittington and his Catford Cat” runs until 31st December. Click here for tickets and more

Disclaimer: I received tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own.