This dramatization was first presented at Washington, D. C.'s Kennedy Center, where the author was playwright-in-residence for the Theater for Young People. Because of its popularity, it was repeated the following year. The Washington Post called it "Purr-fection at the Kennedy Center." It was given a national tour by the Birmingham (Ala.) Children's Theatre.

Originally presented as a Christmas show, the script contains alternate lines and lyrics for a non-Christmas presentation. Seventeenth century madrigals and carols provide background music and accompaniment. Through the lyrics a Chorus narrates the story: A penniless orphan arrives in London to look for the street paved with gold. He meets one misfortune after another until someone gives him a cat. But the cat is kidnapped (catnapped?) and Dick's stormy lifestyle returns as he sails the high seas in search of his pet. He returns with a fortune because Trueheart (the cat) rids a kingdom of rats.

Recommended by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, this spirited musical dramatization includes pirates, ruffians, an Oriental potentate, and the girl Dick marries when he becomes Lord Mayor of London. The Alliance called it a "highly flexible musical spectacle." It has been performed by adult casts and all-children casts. A few simple pieces of moveable scenery can provide the various sets, or elaborate staging can be employed.

According to Kennedy Center officials, 25, 621 children came to the free Christmas show 'Dick Whittington and His Cat' and various young people's concerts. The figure breaks all past attendance records for the seasonal events."—Washington Post

"'Dick Whittington and His Cat' have returned to charm a thousand li'l beggars and their tag-a-long adults in the Terrace Theater...This festive show brings a timeless British tale to life. It is a charmer of a story...as spontaneous as snowflakes in December."—Deirdre Donovan, Hyattsville, Md., Post-Sentinel

See also: Musical/Non-Musical, Plays with Animal Characters and Christmas Musicals