REVIEW - Dick Turpin, Heckington Players, 7th - 22nd February 2025 - ***

A bold, but ultimately misguided, reinvention of the Dick Turpin story provided the premise for Heckington Players' latest pantomime. Great routines, a hard-working cast and cherished moments abound, but the ambivalence towards the pseudo-antihero left a general feeling of ambivalence that is hard to disguise.

The Great Hale Magna Village Hall (a short trot down the road from the village of Heckington) is the new home for the theatre society, having relocated there in May 2023, but the move does not seem to have depleted its popularity; it was standing room only at the matinee performance, and it was pretty much standing room only on the stage also - the cast of sixteen (and the horse, of course) squashed up, making choreography occasionally appear rather cumbersome, but nevertheless, enjoyable and good-spirited. A set of underdressed stage flats flanked the stage, presumably to create extra wing-space for the company, while the major set changes were a series of effective and fun backcloths.

The Cast of 'Dick Turpin' (c) Heckington Players, 2025

The direction, by Glen Barker, was hankered to a degree by the limitations of the small performance area (one scene in particular, early in to Act 2, proved impossible to pull off the desired effect), however, it was also non-intrusive; the more-than-able cast carried us, laughing away, through a series of impressively-mounted set pieces and song numbers. Barker's main quirk, therefore, is to be able to keep the cast energised, and to keep the characters moving, and also, one suspects, to have a tight rein on preventing the performances from becoming unruly. To the pantomimic extent, at least!

Praise also to that cast. This, by and large, is a well-versed group of performers, and the chemistry and camaraderie was infectious. The numbers, although arguably on the meagre side, all packed a punch and, to the credit of both the director and the writer, advanced the plot, as well as giving us ample opportunity to join in. This was very much a traditional panto (perhaps ever-so-slightly wavering towards 'the blue book' on the odd occasion - for the matinee crowd, at least). Kei Bailey's script may match Broadbent Theatre's 'The Snow Queen' (which he also wrote) on laughs-for-laughs, however, the story and structure of 'Dick Turpin' cannot be said to hang together as pleasingly. The dilemma and danger of posing Dick Turpin as any kind of anti-hero or "baddie turned goodie" was surreptitious, there was also no real attempt at any romance subplots (the potential was definitely there), Turpin's horse Bess was underused, and, although the trope of a stolen jewel is fittingly hackneyed for a panto, I do question whether Dick would have been better as the out-and-out ultimate villain, or even posed as a bumbling would-be highwayman. The ending, rushed and off-kilter, threatened to leave us on a bit of a puzzled downer... However, Adam Ant soon snapped us out of that.

Ed Griggs as Snivel Sprout and Paige Ruddlesdin as Dick Turpin (c) Heckington Players, 2025

The show really shone through the remarkable set pieces. From standalone classics such as 'Tippley Tree' and the 'Ghost Routine', to modernised slapstick skits such as a show-stopping pub 'Carrot-oke' sequence, there were plenty of jewels for the taking. My personal highlight was a great twist on a typical barbershop sketch. All of these were performed with added bravura, all stemming from Kei's standout performance as Dame Fertiliza Carrot. A clear favourite on the Heckington stages, Bailey's seemingly unending array of witty putdowns were lapped up by the crowd. Matched by the charismatic, quick-paced Aaron Pettican as Arthur Carrot (Liza's 'Simple Simon' son) and the routines really did leap off the stage. Also impressive was the pairing of David O'Brien and Kelly Anderson in the roles of the local constabulary, Hobnail and Boot. Anderson delivered a joyously mirthful performance as the loveable, dim-witted village bobby, effectively contrasted by O'Brien's droll, uppity 'would-be-actor'.

Melanie Priestley as Lady Ermintrude Portcullis, with Kelly Anderson as Boot and David O'Brien as Hobnail (c) Heckington Players, 2025

Vocally, this was a strong pantomime, too, with a special mention to Hannah Priestley, who, in the role of Cora Carrot, bounded onto the stage with wide-eyed vim and vigour. Props were good fun, too - (the "Somewhere Else in..." additional road sign was a delightful touch) and the renditions of 'Oom Pah Pah' and 'Shut Up And Dance', in particular, had the audience singing to the rooftops.

I've already pulled up issues with the general premise and the plot, however the biggest stumbling block of 'Dick Turpin' is the old adage of quantity over quality... There were scenes and even set-pieces which began to drag, with audience members getting notably restless when each act crept over the 60-minute mark. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, and the local residents are rightly proud and fully supportive of the Heckington Players namesake. However, when we left the venue at 5pm (after a three hour production), although we most definitely departed feeling happy and entertained, we also didn't want any more.