Review by Dianne Craven
On 17 and 18 January 2026 St Joseph’s Theatre Company brought pantomime magic to Pudsey, with their production of ‘Dick Whittington and His Cat’.
The pantomime was written and directed by Janice Whitworth, and was performed at
St Joseph’s RC Church Hall, Pudsey.
The panto was about Dick and his travels to London to seek fame and fortune and pavements of gold; only to find love (in the form of Alice) be forced to work with pirates, and ending up at a ‘faraway island’.
We were told to expect lots of audience participation, fun and laughter. There was singing and dancing, and the traditional thigh slapping, along with the truly bad
pantomime jokes. But the star of the show was Kevin, the talking cactus!
Leigh Rainford took the lead as Dick Whittington, with Chiara Edwards as Alice. We could not forget Daz the Cat – played by Kerry Higgins. But the whole cast were terrific.
If you are interested in becoming a member, either on-stage, behind the scenes (costumes, set design, lighting) or front of house serving refreshments etc, contact Janice Whitworth on 07758 334013 and Freda Mortimer on 07721 312677.