The first performance of Dick Whittington was at Covent
Garden in 1814. Dick Whittington was based on a real
character who lived in the 15th century and was Lord Mayor of
London three times. In 1419 he was said to have married an employer's
daughter, Alice Fitzwarren, and this is where the name of the
female character comes from. The cat may have originated as
a pun on the French word for purchase 'achat'. However other
countries also have their own version of the story which derives
from Persia (now Iran), and which tells the tale of an old woman's
son who embarked for India with a cat.
In H.J Byron's version Dick escapes to Algiers but is chased
by a villain in a hot air balloon. He is also pursued by Alice's
father and mother. Ballooning was topical in the year that the
pantomime was produced (1862) when two English balloonists reached
a height of 11km in a hot air balloon. In the early versions
of the pantomime the balloon scene was the Harlequin chase scene
and the characters of Dick and Alice would transform into Harlequin
and Columbine hotly pursued by Pantaloon.
In 1891, Lottie Collins performed her 'Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay'
song and dance in Dick Whittington at Drury Lane. She
was a huge success.
Introduction
