A few days ago we went along to see Dick Whittington at Oldham Coliseum.
Did we have a thigh slappingly good time?

The Venue
The coliseum is easy to find with a satnav and parking is on the adjacent street. There is the added bonus of free parking for three hours on Saturdays and Sundays too.
Oldham Coliseum is small but welcoming. We found the staff to be really helpful; we had trouble finding our seats but there was someone on hand to show us where we needed to be and nothing was too much trouble.
The Show
The panto itself was funny, lively and engaging. There was a particularly enthusiastic group in the audience who initiated much of the crowd participation and that made it all the more enjoyable really. The costumes were fabulous – bright and over the top which is a must for a panto!
The content had funny bits for adults and children which did get all of us laughing on a regular basis. There were some cheeky inside jokes including a bit of ribbing of the people from the next town, but it was all done very tastefully.

The Verdict
The characters we enjoyed the most were Captain Billy and Saucy Sarah. Those two in particular were really good at getting us involved and keeping us entertained. There was so much emphasis on us being part of the performance. We shouted the usual boos (at King Rat), we shouted ‘It’s behind you!’ (when the ghost appeared) and we were encouraged to clap, sing, shout out all the way through. Which was great, because that’s what our kids were doing anyway!
We asked the children which part they part they enjoyed most and they said it was when they had four children up from the audience to help with the actions for the song. When asking who the kids had come with, one girl said her dad and her gran, and Captain Billy asked which was which! Our boys were in hysterics!
It’s a lovely, small theatre and the cast absolutely went all out to make sure we had a fun night. We’d thoroughly recommend Oldham Coliseum as a great place for families. We had an excellent time.
To book your tickets to see Dick Whittington at Oldham Coliseum, visit their website.
Thanks to Oldham Coliseum for inviting us along to review the show.