Dick Whittington Written by Fine Time Fontayne and Daniel Buckroyd Directed by Daniel Buckroyd Relaxed Performances The Mercury Theatre, Colchester Friday 9 th December, 2pm Thursday 5 th January, 7pm Welcome to Mercury Theatre Colchester. This visual story is designed for visitors to the Relaxed Performance of Dick Whittington. This visual story contains photos and information about the performance and The Mercury Theatre to help prepare you for your visit. 1
Where is the play? The play is being performed at The Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Here is a picture of The Mercury Theatre and its entrance. When you enter the building you will be able to see our Ticket Sales desk. This is where you can collect your tickets. It can sometimes be busy at this desk, especially before a performance starts. During the performance the foyer will be much quieter. There are sofas to sit on if you need to leave the auditorium for some quiet time. 2
People who work at The Mercury Theatre wear black clothes with a blue or pink tie and a name badge, so that you can recognise them easily. They are very friendly and will try to answer any questions you have. Here is a photo of one of our friendly members of staff. Our toilets are located on either side of the Ticket Sales desk on the ground floor. We have blue signs all over the Theatre to help you find the nearest toilet. Your ticket will tell you which seat you are sitting in during the performance. There are different entrances for people with different seat numbers. A member of staff will help you to find the right entrance. 3
You can get to your seat either by taking the stairs or the lift. The lift only takes 2 people at a time and is located opposite the accessible toilet. It looks like this. And these are the buttons to press in the lift, to take you to each level of the Theatre. 4
Our Bar is located on the first floor. There are seats here, which you can sit in before you go into the auditorium to see the performance. The Bar will be open throughout the performance in case you want to leave the auditorium at any point. There will be a television in the bar, showing you what s going on during the performance, so you know what is happening on stage, without being in the auditorium. You enter the auditorium by going through one of these sets of doors. The auditorium is the room you sit in during the performance. This is what the auditorium looks like if you look out to it from the stage. 5
The actors and the characters they play Some of the actors play more than one character during the performance. Dick Whittington is played by Glenn Adamson Alice is played by Grace Eccle 6
Ratty King is played by Ignatius Anthony Sarah is played by Anthony Stuart-Hicks Jack is played by Dale Superville 7
Cat (Thomasina) is played by Gracie Lai Alderman Fitzwarren is played by Richard Earl Fairy Bow Bells is played by Barbara Hockaday, she also plays Captain Barnacle 8
Our Swings are Shane McDaid and Millie Binks. They are joined by our Junior Chorus. The performance is accompanied by LIVE MUSICIANS in the orchestra pit, just under the front of the stage. These are led by Richard Reeday, the Musical Director. The band includes piano, drums, percussion, bass guitar and a keyboard. 9
What happens during Dick Whittington? The performance is split into two halves. The first half is called Act One and lasts around 1 hour and 10 minutes. The second half is called Act Two and lasts around 1 hour 10 minutes. In the middle of the performance there is a break, called the interval which lasts around 20 minutes. During this time you can leave the auditorium if you would like to, or you can stay in your seat. We have highlighted any sections which we think you should be aware of, because they may cause discomfort to people who are sensitive to particular stimuli. This image This image = a visual stimulus = a sound stimulus THE STORY Act One (approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes long) At the start of the show the band starts playing the musical overture, which is a combination of many of the musical tunes used throughout the show. Bells sound at the start of the Overture. Ratty King enters and tells the audience he is running for Lord Mayor of London. You can boo Ratty King if you want, or you can cover your ears if the booing is too loud. Fairy Bow Bells appears and says the Bells of Bow predict the new Mayor will be an orphan youth with a heart that is good and true. Fairy Bow Bells reveals Dick Whittington on his way to London to meet his fortune. Bells sound as Dick Whittington heads to London. 10
The scene changes and we are at a dock in London. The band play a song and Dick Whittington sings. Lights swirl across the stage and into the audience, and there is also some smoke on stage. Alderman Fitzwarren and Jack enter. Jack is carrying lots of parcels and falls over! Alderman Fitzwarren is getting ready to sail to Morocco to buy spices. Jack and Fitzwarren hurry off to finish their preparation. Dick Whittington finishes his song and says hello to the audience. You can shout hello back if you want to. Cat appears but hurts her paw. Dick makes her feel better and the two become friends. He names her Thomasina. Dick and Cat sing together. Cat can only sing the word Meow! 11
Alice enters. She is shopping for ingredients to bake a cake for her father, Alderman Fitzwarren. Dick introduces himself to Alice and mentions that he needs to find a job. Alice tells Dick to come along to Fitzwarren s Epicurean Emporium (her father s shop) later that day to see if they can give him a job. They all leave to finish their tasks. Jack enters shouting for Alice, but she has left. Fitzwarren gives Jack a list of tasks to complete. Jack is fed up of being bossed around by Fitzwarren. Jack asks the audience for help. You can help by shouting he s busy being bossed if you want, or you can cover your ears if it s too loud. Jack leaves and Sarah, the cook, enters looking for him. Sarah is Jack s mum. Sarah says hello to the audience. You can say hello back if you want and Sarah might start a conversation with you! Sarah wants a new husband and she has her eye on Fitzwarren! She is going to bake Fitzwarren a cake to say goodbye before he sails to Morocco. Sarah leaves to get started on the cake. 12
Ratty King enters with rat food he s been feeding the rats rather than getting rid of them! Rats emerge from the stage and sing with Ratty King. Lights spin on the stage and in the audience and there is some smoke on stage. The rats also run out into the audience! Dick and Cat enter. Ratty King pretends to be surprised by all the rats and asks for help to get rid of them. There are searchlights on the stage as Dick and Cat chase away all the rats. Ratty King congratulates Dick and Cat, who hisses at him. Ratty King recognises Dick as the boy Fairy Bow Bells said would become Lord Mayor of London, and comes up with a plan to trap him. The band play and lights shine across the stage as the scene is changed. 13
We are now in Fitzwarren s Emporium with Sarah, Jack and Alice. They are getting ready to bake the cake. Fitzwarren enters and says he will need to find someone to look after the shop while he goes to Morocco. Dick and Cat arrive to find a job, but when Dick mentions that he knows Ratty King he is ordered to leave. Dick mentions that his Cat is a great rat catcher and Fitzwarren changes his mind, inviting them to stay and look after the shop for him. The shop is closed for the night and Dick and Cat are in charge of guarding the key to the safe. The safe contains Fitzwarren s gold! Dick sings about falling in love with Alice. Alice overhears him and joins in, but they both pretend to be singing about someone else. Dick and Cat fall asleep guarding the key. Ratty King and the Rats emerge from the stage to steal the gold! You can shout for Dick and Cat to wake up and you can boo Ratty King if you want, or you can cover your ears if it s too loud. Ratty King steals the gold but puts it in Dick s bag so Fitzwarren will think Dick is the thief. 14
Morning arrives and Fitzwarren realises the gold is missing. Everyone searched for the gold and Sarah finds it in Dick s bag. Fitzwarren banished Dick from London. Dick and his Cat leave and Fitzwarren decides he will take Alice to Morocco with him. Sarah and Jack decide to sneak onto the ship to Morocco so they can look after Alice. They will bake the cake on the ship! There is a crash off stage as Jack drops the cake ingredients. Ratty King visits Fairy Bow Bells again and tells her he will become Lord Mayor of London. Fairy takes a magical look at Dick Whittington, who has given up and is leaving London. Fairy makes the bells sing to Dick to call him back to London. The chorus sing the song of the bells. Dick hears the singing and decides to return to London. Sarah and Jack appear and say hello to people in the audience they will also sing Happy Birthday to some people you can join in if you want to! 15
We are now at the dock and Fitzwarren s ship, The Saucy Sally, is due to set sail. A whistle blows at the dock and Captain Barnacle and sailors sing. Fitzwarren and Alice meet Captain Barnacle and prepare to sail to Morocco. A ship horn sounds as Sarah enters. She and Jack have disguised themselves as sailors to sneak on the ship. Jack is scared of the water and sharks! Dick and Cat have arrived at the dock just in time to sneak aboard. Ratty King sees them and also decides to hide away on the ship he plans to drown them all! The whistle blows and the cast sing as the ship sets sail. Lights shine across the stage and out into the audience. 16
Interval (approximately 20 minutes long) This is a mid-performance break where you can go to the toilet or have a drink or leave the auditorium if you would like to. The interval will last around 20minutes and then the second half of the performance will begin. Act Two (approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes long) Fairy Bow Bells watches the Saucy Sally sailing for Morocco. Ratty King appears to tell her of his evil plan to drown the ship s crew so he can become Lord Mayor of London, but Fairy says she won t let that happen! On board the ship, Sarah is getting ready to bake Fitzwarren a cake. Sarah and the crew sing about baking a cake on the ocean and lights move across the stage and into the audience. Sarah and Jack reveal their true identities to Alice. They plan to return to London to prove that Dick is innocent. As they are talking Dick and Cat suddenly appear they have been hiding on the ship! 17
Fitzwarren discovers Dick and Cat are on board the ship. He orders Jack to bring out the plank. Dick confuses Fitzwarren and avoids walking the plank but Fitzwarren throws him in the hold instead. A ship horn sounds. It is night-time, and Sarah and Jack meet on the deck to form a plan to save Dick. They leave to bake a cake. Alice has stolen the key to the hold and frees Dick. Sarah catches them but says she will help prove Dick innocent. Meanwhile, Ratty King has found Cat and threatens to throw her in the ocean. You can shout No to Ratty King if you want, or you can cover your ears if it is too loud. Ratty says he will lock Cat in a barrel and then sink the ship! Sarah and Jack are in the kitchen on the ship. They are going to bake Fitzwarren s cake. Jack helps by calling for ingredients using the kitchen s phone but he keeps getting covered in flour and water. 18
The boat rocks back and forth and Sarah and Jack end up in a messy food fight! Captain Barnacle appears and says the ship is sinking!! Ratty King comes on in a lifeboat. He has sunk the ship and is heading back to London to become Lord Mayor. We are now underwater. It will be very dark at this point and the underwater scene will glow on stage. Fish swim by and bubbles will drift down into the audience. Alice and Dick swim to one another. They find a barrel, set Cat free and swim to safety. Sarah and Jack appear and they have to fight off two sharks before they also swim to safety. Alice, Dick and Cat have wash ashore in Morocco. They see an advert for a rat catcher at the palace and go to investigate. Meanwhile, Fitzwarren, Sarah and Jack have also washed ashore in Morocco. They decide to sit on a bench to wait for Dick and Alice. 19
Sarah, Jack and Fitzwarren sing a song. As they sing, a camel appears and spits at Fitzwarren and Jack to chase them away. You can shout at them when you see the camel if you want to. When the camel sees Sarah it farts instead! At the Moroccan Palace rats dance and sing. The Sultan offers half his wealth to anyone who can get rid of the rats for him. Lights move across the stage as Dick and Alice try to chase away the rats. Jack, Sarah and Fitzwarren try to help them but the rats are winning! Cat appears and sings to the rats, hypnotising them though she has a hairball part way through! The Sultan is pleased the rats have gone and gives Dick a reward of gold treasure. He also gives Fitzwarren all the spices he needs. Dick tries to propose to Alice but is too shy! Cat tries to tell everyone that it was Ratty King who sank the ship but they can t understand her. You can help Cat by shouting that it was Ratty King, if you want to. 20
The Sultan gives them a ship and they sail back to London. In London, Ratty King is about to be announced as the new Lord Mayor. Fitzwarren arrives just in time to say that Dick Whittington has returned and will also stand for Mayor. Fairy Bow Bells reveals that Ratty King has been feeding the rats, which means he cannot be the Mayor. Jack arrives back from Morocco with the camel. Fitzwarren proposes to Sarah and gives Jack ownership of the Emporium. Fairy Bow Bells declares Dick Whittington as the new Lord Mayor of London. As punishment, Ratty King is made to eat a hat, kiss a camel and dance a jig. Alice and Dick decide to get married. The whole cast sing in celebration. Lights move across the stage and in the audience. You can clap if you want to! 21
What happens at the end? At the end of the performance, the audience clap their hands to show that they have enjoyed the performance. You can clap your hands too, if you would like to. If the clapping is too loud you can cover your ears. The performers will stay behind for a few minutes to talk to you about what it s like to be on stage and to answer any questions you have about their characters or the show. They will do their best to answer your questions. This is a special opportunity to speak to the actors as most people who visit the theatre don t get to meet them. You can take photos at the end of the performance, but photography is not allowed during the performance. We hope you enjoy your time at the Mercury Theatre! 22