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
stilly 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, and 33 & 34
years later she was back at the Prince Edward Theatre playing Miss
Andrew in Mary Poppins.
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):
