Dick Whittington & His Cat

Overview

Plot Summary

In a small provincial village, the locals are excitedly discussing London, where fortunes are made, and dreams come true! (song – Go To London) Down on his luck, young Dick Whittington decides to head for the city, to see if the streets really are paved with gold. However, no sooner has he arrived in London than he realises it’s not quite the place of opportunity he thought it would be. (song – This Is London) Exhausted from his journey, he takes a nap on the doorstep of respectable looking house, the owner of which, Mr Fitzwarren, takes pity on Dick and offers him a roof over his head. In exchange for this Dick must work in the house under the comical but mean-spirited cook, butler and maid, who make it their mission to drive Dick to despair. (song – A Recipe For Disaster).
To add to his woes, Dick’s attic bedroom is overrun each night with rats and mice. (song – Your Furry Friends) This leaves him tired and vulnerable to the domestic staff’s bullying. However, he finds a friend in Alice, Mr Fitzwarren’s daughter, who promises to keep his tormentors at bay, and advises him that getting a cat might help control his pestilent night visitors. He takes her advice, and with his meagre earnings he buys Puss, a flea-bitten old moggy! They are soon best friends, (song – One Purr-fect Match) and life becomes happier.
One day Mr Fitzwarren gathers his household together. He gives them the opportunity to send items on board his trading ship, bound for far-off lands, and the chance to make a good profit. Alice suggests that Dick sends Puss, and reluctantly he agrees. His life in the house soon becomes miserable again, so he decides to run away, but doesn’t get very far before he hears the chiming bells of Bow Church. They seem to be telling him to turn back, promising he will one day be Lord Mayor of London! (song – Turn Again, Whittington).
Meanwhile, in a distant country, the captain of Mr Fitzwarren’ ship is attending a banquet given by the king and queen. (song – She Loves To Shop) Suddenly the palace is swamped by rats and mice, which eat all the food in seconds flat! When the king explains that this happens at every mealtime, the captain tells him he has something in his cargo which might help. At the next hurriedly-arranged banquet, nobody is quite sure what the strange creature is that the captain has brought with him, but they are thrilled to see it deal so effectively with the rats and mice that turn up expecting another easy meal! (song – Go Super-Puss). The captain quickly seizes the opportunity to make some money – a lot of money!
Following the ship’s return, Mr Fitzwarren again gathers together the members of his household. He presents Dick with a vast fortune – the reward for Puss’s heroic performance! At last Dick’s luck has changed. He has a glittering future before him, the highlights being marrying Alice, and, as the bells of Bow Church foretold, becoming Lord Mayor of London! (song – Finale).