Birmingham can lay claim to its fair share of international boasts. It’s the home of Cadbury’s, officially the greatest chocolate in the world, bar none (this author shall not be debated on this). And, over a chunk of the past decade in particular, it has been repeatedly forging a strong case for it having one of – if not the – best pantomimes in the Country.

Recent years have seen the City’s Hippodrome Theatre inherit the previous year’s production from the London Palladium, along with all its inherent glitz, glamour, production value and sparkle. But for all of the Clary’s and O’Grady’s the capital can throw at its seasonal spectacle, Brum has shrewdly held on to a somewhat unassailable comedic gold nugget in the form of the inimitable – many would say unsurpassable – Matt Slack.

If there is a finer marriage of performer and material in the panto world, I welcome you to try and find them. Now on his ninth consecutive year at the venue (and next year’s 10th milestone already booked in, for 2023’s Jack and the Beanstalk), the local favourite has firmly ensconced himself in the fibre and fabric of Birmingham’s annual festivities, and this year’s Dick Whittington is a joyous, uproariously funny and show-stopping celebration of precisely why.

“If there is a finer marriage of performer and material in the panto world, I welcome you to try and find them.”

Stepping up to the titular role, Slack’s elevation to leading man sacrifices none of his effortless, seemingly endless comic elasticity and invention on the stage. There’s plenty of meta poking at his elevation to lead, being an honorary Brummie (“without the accent… thankfully”) and the fact he’s finally going to get the girl (or is he?), and any concerns that his inspired silliness could be somehow stifled by steering the ship are quickly allayed.

He is, once again, an absolute whirlwind of manic energy, uncanny impersonations, musical mimicry and general crackpot caricature excellence. Some of his tentpole set pieces return, from an extended, hilarious story time via confectionary names, to an increasingly manic, nautical restyling of ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’. Amazingly, despite some of these bits also being presented for the ninth time, they remain fresh, relentlessly funny and showing no signs of fatigue or formula.

So Slack is once again the MVP, for sure, and in his elevated role it means the audience are only treated to more of his irresistible schtick, which is no bad thing, but that isn’t to say the production and company around him are in any way slouches, either.

Another Hippodrome regular, Andrew Ryan, is on hand to dish out dame duties with suitably campy relish and fabulousness, with a panoply of increasingly elaborate (not to mention buxom) outfits that will have even Drag Race enthusiasts agog. Ryan vamps and sings up a storm as sweet shop owner Felicity Fitzwarren, whilst Black Country legend Doreen Tipton (played once again to deadpan perfection by local comedienne Gill Jordan) brings her idiosyncratic drollness to the part of Dick’s trust feline companion. When you’ve got a main character with that first name, accompanied by a trusty… pussy… the double entendres come flying fast, frequent and without apology, as you can imagine. There’s even a surprisingly bravura detour to Lloyd-Webber territory thrown in for good measure, too.

“Pellow shrewdly plays his turn relatively straight, investing the show with a baddy who genuinely presents as both sinister and threatening.”

Also marking a return to the Hippodrome, after portraying the villainous Abanazar in their 2015/16 production of Aladdin, Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow is the show’s resident big bad, this time round a suitably boo-hiss-worthy ‘Rat Man’. Pellow shrewdly plays his turn relatively straight, investing the show with a baddy who genuinely presents as both sinister and threatening. The singer croons and rasps his way through a number of nefarious solos, making for a suitably insidious foil to the lighter antics of Slack, Ryan, Doreen and co. Elsewhere, TV favourite Dr Ranj, and former popstar Suzanne Shaw (of HearSay fame) both offer up plenty of light, fun (if slightly more conventional) panto fare as the Spirit of the Bells and spritely love interest Alice, respectively.

Given the calibre of talent on stage, Dick Whittington could have been forgiven had it opted to rest on its laurels when it comes to spectacle and razzmatazz, but nothing could be further from the case, here. This is a grandiose, opulent and decadent slice of panto gold. Abigail Morgan’s costumes are a treat throughout, from a sweet shop chorus line bedecked with oversized Jammy Dodgers, to sparkling, rhinestoned buccaneers and shipmates, not to mention the explosion of camp and colour that are Felicity’s glorious adornments. The entire production is lavish and regularly show-stopping at practically every level, though, from an eye-watering Act II interlude from flame-flinging ‘Spark Fire Dance‘ (Dave Knox & Grace Billings), to set pieces such as a colossal King Rat animatronic that leers terrifyingly out over the audience early on, to an Act I closer that is as impressive and inspired as it is utterly insane.

‘Ninth time’s a charm’ would suggest that previous years’ pantomimes at the Hippodrome have somehow fallen short, or been works in progress, which is self-evident hogwash. What remains remarkable, though, is how every year, the standard of hilarity, energy and invention just seems to keep surpassing itself in jolly old Brum. There’s doubtless a kernel of magic and merit in the Hippodrome so wisely keeping hold of Slack, who is, pound for pound, likely the best panto performer currently out there, but the truth is there are glimmers of family-friendly magic and irresistible festivity in every nook, cranny, sequence and set piece of Dick Whittington.

It’s not only the best Dick you’ll find in Birmingham or beyond (itself no mean praise), but is, quite simply, the finest panto in all the land.

Long live Dick. And roll on the tenniversary next year, with the very welcome return of masterful Slack and his sack of magic beans…