Edward Rowe Returns for Hall for Cornwall’s Dick Whittington & His Mousehole Cat

The team that turned last year’s Aladdin into a record-breaking run at Hall for Cornwall is back for Christmas. And the director reckons they are not holding back this time.

A reunion for Dick Whittington

Hall for Cornwall has confirmed that its creative team is returning to lead this year’s Cornwall Playhouse Productions festive pantomime, Dick Whittington & His Mousehole Cat.

Director Nick Evans, writers Richard Healey and Edward Rowe, and choreographer Jevan Howard-Jones reunite with the Hall for Cornwall producing team for the show, which follows the success of 2025’s Aladdin. That production drew record audiences in Truro and earned national recognition, with the team shortlisted for three national awards. The Stage gave Aladdin four stars and called it “polished and high-powered”.

The names behind it

Nick Evans returns following his work on Aladdin. His career spans the West End and international stages, including a spell as Associate Director on Billy Elliot the Musical in London, plus work across Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins and Bat Out of Hell. His recent credits include a new staging of Matilda the Musical in Mexico City and large-scale projects with the National Youth Music Theatre.

Richard Healey steps back into his role as co-writer and Musical Director. He has been at the heart of Hall for Cornwall’s Christmas shows since 2012 and picked up a nomination at The Pantomime Awards 2026 in the Best Contribution to Music category for Aladdin. Working nationally and internationally as a Musical Director, composer and arranger, his credits include The Creakers and Ordinary Days in the West End and a UK tour of The Gondoliers. He also lectures at the Academy of Music and Theatre Arts (AMATA) at Falmouth University.

Edward Rowe joins him again as co-writer. The award-winning Cornish actor, writer and comedian is known nationally for his role in the BAFTA-winning film Bait, and across Cornwall as Kernow King. His work spans stage, screen and radio, with credits including Rose of Nevada, House of the Dragon, The Witcher and Beyond Paradise, alongside a substantial body of work championing Cornish identity and language. Edward was previously nominated for Best British Male at the Great British Pantomime Awards for Hall for Cornwall’s Sleeping Beauty, and Aladdin saw him nominated again, this time for the Stanley Baxter Award for Best Dame.

Choreographer Jevan Howard-Jones is also back. His recent work includes the upcoming Wicked film and choreography for Peter Pan and Aladdin at Hall for Cornwall, plus credits on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the West End and on UK tour. He choreographed Cable Street, which transferred from an Off-West End run to New York for an Off-Broadway run. His work on Aladdin earned him a nomination at The Pantomime Awards 2026 for Best Choreography.

Helen Tiplady, Deputy Creative Director at Hall for Cornwall, returns as Producer, with HfC CEO and Creative Director Julien Boast as Executive Producer for Cornwall Playhouse Productions, the producing arm of Hall for Cornwall. That arm has previously delivered Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical, Peter Pan and Aladdin.

What the team is saying

Julien Boast said the decision to bring the team back was straightforward.

“Our Christmas shows sit right at the heart of what we do, and Cornwall Playhouse Productions is all about making work that starts here and reaches far beyond. After the success of Aladdin with audiences and critics, bringing them back for Dick Whittington was a no-brainer. They’ve got a brilliant instinct for what makes a Cornwall audience tick, and they’re not holding back this year. Expect big laughs, big heart and all the magic you want from a proper festive night out.”

Nick Evans added: “I’m enormously excited to be coming back to Cornwall for Christmas. There’s something really special about building on what we started with Aladdin. The audiences, the energy, the appetite for something joyful at Christmas, you can feel how much Cornish audiences embrace what is very much ‘their’ pantomime. Dick Whittington is a brilliant, adventurous story, with kindness at its heart, and with this team reassembled we’ve got the chance to create something even bigger, and more fun, than ever before.”

When and where

Dick Whittington & His Mousehole Cat follows a young dreamer and his cat on a quest for fortune, friendship and home. It runs from 4 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 at the Cornwall Playhouse, Hall for Cornwall. Tickets are available at hallforcornwall.co.uk.

📷Credit: Hugh Hastings