Dick Whittington and His Cat

WEMBLEY Theatre Company is “feline fine” with its annual pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Cat.

Written by Tony Nicholls and directed by Bryce Manning at the Wembley Community Centre, the story follows Dick after he gets kicked out of home and decides to head to London.

On his way, he encounters a smart-talking cat and meets and instantly falls in love with Alice Fitzwarren.

Dick wants to marry Alice – but so does the nasty Squire Crow – and he faces numerous challenges in his pursuit of Alice.

After saving a fairy from King Rat, Dick is also rewarded and becomes Mayor of London.

“Tony Nicholls has stuck very close to the story we are all familiar with,” Bryce said.

“As with his other 20-plus pantomimes, there are always a few diversions with new intriguing characters but the core of the story still revolves around Dick Whittington, the cat, Alice and the journey to London.”

Bryce is also stepping up to the stage in the show for a brief but crucial moment.

“I play one of Dick’s brothers, who kicks him out of his home,” he said.

“It’s a very minor role but it’s three minutes of the show you won’t forget.”

Involved in acting, directing and theatre teaching since 1984, Bryce trained as an actor at the University of Western Sydney before moving back to Perth to start his teaching career.

He formed the Wembley Theatre Company in 1996 and has been producing, directing, writing and acting in the company’s annual productions for the past 25 years.

The company’s version of Old Mother Hubbard won a Finley Award for best production in 1997.

“I love Tony Nicholls’ pantomimes,” Bryce said. “They have the perfect amount of jokes, songs and pace to keep a modern audience entertained.”