Dick Whittington  was the production for our 19th performance.  We had retained the same cast  and we were all happy with the end result.  A great deal of fun was had by all.  At the end of the final performance donations of £200 each were presented to Bentley School, the Village Hall and £50 to the Tuesday Club.

Our willing support group was Ted Poole stage manager and scenery, Kim Eastall and Caroline Prangle costumes and property and Keith Philips (assisted by Caroline Phillips) sounds and lighting.

The cast in order of appearance were John Scoines, Bob Perkin, David Prangle, Gordon Riley, Caroline Prangle, Kim Eastall, Elizabeth Baldwin, Ted Poole, David Eastall.  John Scoines was also the Narrator.

Press Report: (by Michael Anderton)

The Bentley Players undertook their 19th annual pantomime in the Village Hall with a localised version of Dick Whittington, a lad who left Bentley to seek his fortune in London. With no changes to the cast this year, the team brought their usual brand of humour to an enthusiastic local audience.

The drama opened with John Scoines narrating the plot and introducing us to Alderman Fitzwarren, played by Bob Perkin and Flora his cook, played by Dame David Prangle. To assist them and to amuse the audience Jack the Lad played by Gordon Riley, a Fred Dibnah look alike, put on his usual comic performance with professional polish. Dick Whittington was played by Caroline Prangle whilst his (her?) silent partner, Tiddles the Cat, was played by Kim Eastall. As usual, Dick fell in love with Alderman Fitzwarren's daughter Alice played by Elizabeth Baldwin, who as we all know eventually get married and live happily ever after.

John Scoines doubled up as the Sultan of Morocco and was dressed in what appeared to be a real life Sultan's costume. Mention must be made of Ted Poole who made his always popular entrance as Captain Pugwash and as usual managed to battle his way through the script, much to the amusement of the audience. His Mate was played by David Eastall and between them they provided the comedy double act that is now becoming a regular feature. This year saw what seemed to be a stage invasion by a Norwich City supporter from the audience who was actually an Ipswich fan in disguise. This provided much hilarity and cheering, all on a day when Norwich lost their match at home.

As usual Keith Phillips managed the sound and lights with the assistance of his daughter Caroline.  Charles Cripps wrote and directed the show and, when it was all over, presented cheques for £200 each to Bentley School and the Village Hall Management Committee and £50 to the Tuesday Club. The Bentley Players are aiming to return for their next outing in 2005 but from then much depends on the replacement Village Hall and the question of whether or not a stage will be provided in the planned new structure .

<BACK to History>