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This was OULES' inaugural production which took place in Michaelmas Term 1999. It's basically the standard Dick Whittington story, but adapted to make it about an hour long, since small children tend not to be able to sit for much longer. Dick leaves home to seek his fortune in London to help his poor old mother, Ethel Goatsbottom, pay the rent to Sir Rufus Sly. During the journey to London he befriends a cat, named - Cat. On arriving in London, Dick takes a job in Mayor Lardbelly's Cheese Emporium, where he falls in love with the beautiful Elizabeth Lardbelly, the mayor's daughter, and makes an enemy of Jeremiah Lurke, Lardbelly's creepy manager who is also in love with Elizabeth. Mayor Larbelly falls victim to a robbery perpetrated by the Rat King with whom Lurke is in cahoots. The mayor loses his memory and when Inspector Corner of the Yard and Copper Piping arrive and Lurke accuses Dick of the robbery, Lardbelly cannot remember what happened. Dick appears in court where he is sentenced by Sir Rufus Sly to death. While he languishes in prison, Cat and Elizabeth form a plan to rescue him. This done, Dick escapes on a ship while Elizabeth returns to look after her father. They are separated - apparently forever. (Very emotional bit, that!) Dick escapes on the ship that has been taken by Inspector Corner and Copper Piping who have been sacked from the Yard for letting Dick escape. Elizabeth and her father also end up on the ship since the nurse hired to look after the Mayor (who turns out to be Dick's mother) has read in her medicine book that a sea voyage may cure his memory. The ship is then attacked by pirates - who are in fact the Rat King and Jeremiah Lurke and following a storm they all land on a desert island. Dick has managed to regain his father's treasure map from the Rat King and they all proceed to search for the treasure. They locate the place and begin digging. The mayor gets hit on the head with the shovel which brings back his memory, and shortly afterwards, the Rat King reappears and reveals that he was also Sir Rufus Sly. A battle follows between Dick and the Rat King which the cat dul;y ends by eating the Rat King. The mayor decides it's time to retire and hands over office to Dick, also granting him his permission to marry Elizabeth. And everyone lived happily ever after...?
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