Dick Turpin
Betty Turpin’s lament that she will have to continue working until she is 70 is greeted with much cheering. Betty is the Dame in this pantomime and the Dame, as always, is played by Berwick Kaler. The audience, the entire city of York, wants him to go on for ever - never mind until he is 70.
This is Kaler’s 30th consecutive pantomime as Dame and it is very much Kaler’s show. He writes, co-directs and leads from the front. His confrontations, planned and impromptu, with regular villain David Leonard are legendary.
There is, as ever, plenty of wild knockabout humour, irreverent banter, clever sketches and a magnificent splosh scene for regular victim Martin Barrass. The latter being the most comprehensive splosh sketch that there is likely to be in pantoland this season.
Kaler shows no sign of succumbing to self-indulgence. The script must have the effort and care that the Morecambe and Wise TV Christmas specials used to have.
A loyal pantomime rep company has grown up around Kaler. One of the newest to join being AJ Powell, who employs a devastatingly funny Brummie accent. He gives as good as he gets, as do they all.
Production information
- By:
- Berwick Kaler, who also directs and performs
- Management:
- York Theatre Royal
- Cast:
- Berwick Kaler, David Leonard
- Director:
- Damian Cruden
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Theatre Royal York
- December 11 2008-January 31 2009
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