‘Dick Whittington’ pantomime begins performances at the National Theatre

The pantomime was first seen at Lyric Hammersmith in 2018.

Following the National Theatre reopening earlier this year with Death of England: Delroy, the theatre's Christmas offering begins performances tonight. The National Theatre will be home to Dick Whittington this season, with performances in the Olivier Theatre from 11 December to 23 Jan. 2021.

The well-known pantomime tale is adapted by Jude Christian and Cariad Lloyd, which was first staged at Lyric Hammersmith in 2018. The adaptation sees Dick Whittington travel to London to seek his fortune, with this year's production set to include topical and cultural references about the last 12 months.

This year's cast includes Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings as Dick Whittington, Melanie La Barrie as Bow Belles, Dickie Beau as Sarah, Amy Booth-Steel as Queen Rat, Laura Checkley as Mayor Pigeon, Georgina Onuorah as Alice and Cleve September as Tom Cat. Casting is completed by Beth Hinton-Lever, Travis Kerry, Jaye Marshall, Ken Nguyen, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda and Christopher Tendai.

Although Dick Whittington will be staged in front of a live audience, there's also opportunity to watch the show from your home. Dick Whittington will be available to stream from 23 December, with the show later available on National Theatre at Home from January 2021.

Dick Whittington is at the National Theatre from 11 December to 23 Jan. 2021

^{Photo credit: Dick Whittington cast in rehearsals (Photo courtesy of National Theatre)}