Dick Whittington
Louise Gold
made her professional debut, as Fairy Bowbells, at The Malvern Festival
Theatre, 22 December 1973 and 5 January 1974.
Cast
Dick Whittington - Carol Cleveland
Tommy The Cat - Yvette Byrne
Alice Fitzwarren - Linda Coates
Sarah The Cook - Brian E. Cook
King Rat - Peter Brett
Fairy Bowbells - Louise Gold
Alderman Fitzwarren - Alan Wilson
Idle Jack - Neil France
Captain Hookline - Martin Wimbush
First Mate Jim Shirker - Ann Spicer
Sultana of
Chorus - Eight Boys And Girls, including: Graham Pountney, Mark Harris, Jeremy Coles, Russell Alkins, Josette Lessor, Susan Meadows, Lucille Sage, and, Dominique De Wynter.
Production Team
Director - Brian E. Cook
Choreographer - Collin Pilditch
Musical Director – Alan Grocott
Scenary Design – Richard Hammond
Costume Design – Gabrielle Edlin
Producer – Charles Vance, in association with The Malvern Festival Theatre Trust
Dogs - belonging to various members of the company
Performances
were daily at 2:30pm and 6:30pm with an additional performance on Saturday 29
December at 10:30am.
Seats cost
85p, 60p & 50p, with concessions for OAP’s and children (except Boxing Day
and Saturdays) at 55p, 45p & 30p.
At the time of
making her professional debut (at the age of about 17), Louise Gold was still studying at the Arts
Educational School. The previous year, another Arts Ed pupil, Nicky Croydon (who went on to appear
with Ms Gold in Hair) had also made her professional
debut in pantomime at Malvern.
Since making
her professional stage debut, Louise Gold’s career has gone on to span a
wide range of roles in various productions, for example: 2 years later found
her in Joseph
And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (York Production) at Theatre Royal
York, 9 years later she was playing Isabel in The Pirates Of Penzance (Stage
production) at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 11 years later she was
singing in Mrs Cole’s Music Hall at The
Mill in Sonnig, 21 years later she was starring in the title role in Calamity Jane at The Leicester Haymarket,
27 years later she was playing Tanya (one of the dynamos) in Mamma Mia at the Prince Edward Theatre in
London, 31 years later she was playing Baroness Bomeburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at The London
Palladium, 33 & 34 years later
she was back at the Prince Edward Theatre playing Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins, and 35, 36 & 37 years
later she was back at Theatre Royal Drury Lane playing various roles in Oliver!.
Critics Comments
“There is something
very endearingly ingenuous about The Malvern Festival Theatre panto show, with
as agreeable a bunch of entertainers as one could wish for, and they make the
old story of ‘Dick Whittington and his Cat’ turn up all bright and new.... Peter Brett, in a fantastic costume and make
up, as King Rat and Louise Gold as Fairy Bowbell conduct a lively contest
between good and evil.” G.M, MALVERN GAZETTE, 27 December 1973
“Yvette Byrne is a very loveable Tommy The cat, with Linda Coates as
Alice Fitzwarren and Louise Gold as Fairy Bowbell.” THE STAGE, 10 January 1974
Links about Dick Whittington
Muppet Central/Tibby's Bowl Interview with
Louise Gold http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml
Carol
Cleveland’s website CV: http://www.carolcleveland.com/cv.htm (the
panto mentioned in her credits):
Agency Licensing Campaign (article in The Stage): http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31022/theatre-stars-back-campaign-for-talent-agency,
and Online Petition (which anyone who
supports it can sign): http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41085.html , seeing as Carol Cleveland is among the
performers backing this worthy campaign.
