It’s Twixmas – that time between Christmas and New Year, when many people are unaware what day it is, let alone the date. This is not the case for Poppy, though, since she has been counting down the days to her visit to De Montfort Hall to watch their relaxed performance of Dick Whittington.
Having performed at De Montfort Hall in FTM Dance’s Judy Whittington and the Trainer of Infinite Speed on the run up to Christmas, Poppy could not wait to watch the pantomime come to life, with an impressive cast including BBC Radio 2’s Richie Anderson, CBeebies star Rebecca Keatley, TV personality and pop group Hear’Say’s Suzanne Shaw and West End star Djalenga Scott.
Before the show
Although Poppy knows De Montfort Hall very well, and feels really at home in the spacious auditorium, it was comforting to her to know she could access the relaxed performance (RP) guide online before the show.
The guide familiarises the audience with the venue and talks them through what will happen on arrival and during the performance. It also has pictures of the venue and the cast. We also noted that there was a quiet room available should it all get too much, which was reassuring to know.
On arrival
We arrived around 20 minutes early, giving us enough time to settle in. Our tickets had been emailed over to us as a QR code, so there was no waiting at the door and we moved quickly into the venue after having a quick bag check.
We noticed a display with copies of the RP guide on, along with sensory toys and ear defenders if theatre-goers had forgotten theirs. Poppy picked up a copy of the RP guide to take into the show with her.
It was reassuring to note that there was no background noise (apart from people talking) as we navigated our way around the building, and electric hand dryers had been switched off in the toilets (paper towels supplied) which made the atmosphere really calm.
We queued up at the kiosk for some drinks and snacks and then it was time to head into the theatre.
In the theatre
Ushers on the doors were happy to help guide us to where we were sitting. We’d requested an end of row seat as Poppy has severe sensory issues. The seating arrangements were perfect for her and she soon settled in.
She busied herself taking one last look through the relaxed programme to familiarise herself with the cast before the show started.
We soon got to find out about the different characters, and Poppy was instantly drawn to Dick Whittington played by Jarred Christmas, giggling away at his jokes. His cat, Boots, played by award-winning beatboxer Jack ‘Hobbit’ Hobbs was an absolute hit – Poppy had never heard anything like him, such a brilliant addition to the line up.
Poppy really warmed to CBeebies favourite Rebecca Keatley who plays sweet Alice Fitzwarren and thought Richie Anderson who stars as Alice’s uncle Alderman Fitzwarren was very funny. She was mesmerised by both Hear’Say’s Suzanne Shaw as Fairy Bow Bells and West End star Djalenga Scott as Queen Rat, singing along whenever they came on stage.
But when I asked who her favourite character was – she had now doubt – it was Sarah the Cook played by Jack Ballard. She just loved her crazy costumes and shouting out “quack quack” every time Sarah appeared on stage and said the cue “eh up me ducks!”
Poppy’s best bits of the show were when Queen Rat hypnotised Dick Whittington, making him say silly things, which she thought was really funny. She loved the flourescent scenes and when the cast were on board the good ship De Montfort.
Her favourite costumes were when the cast were shipwrecked on a far off land, especially Sarah the Cook’s stripy red and white swimming costume!
She was giggling away at the old favourites – the ghost scene and the 12 days of Christmas. There are small changes made to 12 days for the RP, such as the super soakers having no water and the 5 toilet rolls not being thrown into the audience, which were welcomed.
The fight scenes were excellent and really caught Poppy’s attention, with the Star Wars and arcade game Street Fighter quotes. The choreography for these scenes was excellent, as was the choregraphy in the Dick Whittington-esque Cell Block Tango – just brilliant.
At the end, when the audience were encouraged to join in, Poppy didn’t need any further bidding and was up on her feet dancing the final number ‘Shut up and Dance with Me’. In fact, the performance was summed up for me when two young theatre-goers spontaneously got up to dance at the the end of the show, and looked like they were having the time of their lives.
It was great to see the British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter on the stage who was in costume too, making him part of the production. He was also credited at the end of the show which was lovely.
This performance really did what it said on the tin – it was completely relaxed in every sense, making for an inclusively brilliant show. Lights were on low, and doors were open so audience members could come and go as they pleased, which in no way detracted from the theatre experience.
Poppy’s star rating
★★★★★
Dick Whittington is at De Montfort Hall until Saturday, January 3, 2026
The show is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an interval
Tickets £19.50-£25.50
Next year’s relaxed performance is Beauty and the Beast on Wednesday, December 30 at 11am. Tickets are available to book on the De Montfort Hall website.