Whittington and his Cat


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.7 stars; 6 reviews)

Whittington and his Cat, or Harlequin Lord Mayor of London was the 26th Grand Comic Christmas Annual, written by E. L. Blanchard for performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London in 1875.

Pantomimes are a favourite Christmas entertainment in England, and in Victorian times were usually written in rhyming couplets. They featured a Principal Boy (played by a girl) and a Dame (played by a man). Over the years they became ever more elaborate with fantastic costumes, huge casts and spectacular transformation scenes. We shall have to leave these to your imagination, dear listener, but we hope that our performance will give you a flavour of Victorian panto.

This version of the story of Dick Whittington was produced from a torn and well-used copy of the pantomime script, and a long search online and in various British libraries for the original music, details of which may be found here.

The lyrics of the last song are the cast's curtain call and include the names Wright, Vokes and Coveney, the Vokes family and Harriet Coveney being famous celebrities in Victorian pantomime.

Dick arrives in London to search for the fabled "streets paved with gold" and after being reunited with his cat Tom who has followed him, finds the mercer Mr. Fitzwarren (for whom business is not going well), his lovely daughter Alice and the fearsome Dorothy the Cook. Many high jinks ensue. (Summary by Ruth Golding)

Cast:
Dick Whittington - Philippa
Hugh Fitzwarren, mercer - Kim Stich
Alice Fitzwarren, his daughter - Jc Guan
Dorothy the Cook - Tom
Tom the Cat - Andy Minter
The Fairy Bluebell - Cori Samuel
The Sovereign of Zanzibar - Phil Chenevert
Captain - David Lawrence
First Apprentice - Anne Cheng
Second Apprentice - Ikku
First Girl - Anna Roberts
Second Girl - TriciaG
Third Girl - Lucy Perry
Helmsman - mb
Narrator - Ruth Golding
Audio edited by Ruth Golding (1 hr 10 min)

Chapters

Dramatis Personae 1:07 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene I 16:21 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene II 11:35 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene III 10:59 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene IV 5:15 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene V 7:55 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene VI 9:27 Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Scene VII 7:34 Read by LibriVox Volunteers

Reviews

Not A Christmas Story, But a Christmas Present


(5 stars)

While much of the humor is visual, and must be imagined, enough is here to give the listener a definite sense of the original concept. Presented in this manner, compiled from readings and music recorded across who-knows-how-many miles, it is strange that the collaboration has a cozy feel. It is as if a group of friends is performing a Victorian comedy at a cozy party. Yes, I can imagine more than the visuals. I see our fine readers performing this comedy in a Victorian drawing room, with plenty of Christmas punch to keep us jolly. While this is not a Christmas story, it is absolutely delightful listening for the season. I am impressed to read of the restoration of the music. This is Internet collaboration at its best. Thank you to all concerned. Well done!

Whittington


(5 stars)

This excellent group performance takes me back to the Christmas pantomimes of the old days. It's silly, far-fetched past all reasonableness, and a whole lot of fun! The only way it could have been improved would be some "Oh no I didn't/Oh yes you did!" And a little "Look behind you, guv'ner!" But I think there's a LibriVox rule against improvisation... What an inspiration to record this piece. I hope the troupe will reassemble for another panto next year -- how about Aladdin? TheBookworm (Manchester, UK)

Tom the Cat Saves All


(4 stars)

This is a lovely, old fashioned tale which is often told musically. It will be especially appreciated by us "Cat People"!

Next year?


(0 stars)

I really think we should, don't you? <em>Oh, no, we shouldn't!</em> <em>Oh, yes, we should!</em> I'll see what I can do ;).