Snow White

This was a most engaging script, with plenty of current references, dance, action, jokes and repartee.  The performance fitted the venue very well, with good use made of the acting space.  However, at times the flow of the show could have been a little smoother, and it would have been nice to enjoy a few more custard pie moments.  Cast difficulties and accidents affected the show considerably, so to have managed to stage the show that evening was a triumph in itself!

The set design was excellent, with very good variety and smooth scene changes.  The opening magic mirror in the Queen’s boudoir was very neatly done.  The strong colours of the scenery and costumes gave a great vibrancy to the production and immediately gave an impression of sunlight and warmth. I really liked the fact that the castle was not revealed in the village until the very end of the show – a distant view in outline on the backcloth.  The change to the cottage in the woods where the robbers lived during the interval created a completely different feel, with very good effect. The palace candle chandelier was most effective, while the woodlands were both realistic yet bright, and the funeral scene was sombre and yet light. 

Against this colourful scenery, the bright costumes of the characters worked extremely well, especially in the larger village scenes.  The Dame’s costumes were nice and not too extreme, and so added to the story rather than being distracting. The queen’s dark purple by contrast immediately indicated a different character and suited her character beautifully. The mirror character being silvery was a wonderful idea – and most effective.The music was provided by a 5-piece band and included some recent hits that got the audience singing along with gusto.  The volume and tempi were very well controlled, to support rather than drive the performers. The sound did have a few hiccups at times, but again in the light of the problem that evening, it worked well. Face mics can be a problem sometimes!  The choreography for the dancers was very good: suitable for the music and the action but not too complicated! The props were suitable and well used, especially the ‘noble steed’s’ coconut shells! 

However, it was the cast that made this such a good production, as they danced and sang their hearts out, alongside the main characters, as summarized below:

Snow White:  a sweet and innocent character portrayed in fine panto fashion.   Good interaction with Ferdinand, particularly with their love song in the wood.

Ferdinand:  portrayed as rather authoritarian, determined to regain his fortune and to save Snow White from the Queen’s wicked plans.  He brings humour to the role particularly in his interaction with Poncho.

Poncho:  an amazing character!  His disguise as a donkey complete with long ears and coconut shell sound-effects was entertaining and the visual joke with two ghosts in the wood was great fun.

Nanny Dory:  a lively presentation of a pantomime Dame with much humour, a great voice and hilarious audience participation.  The slapstick kitchen scene and audience song competition were good.

King Magnus:  portrayed as a rather indistinct character, slightly lacking in decisive kingly qualities.  His scene as kitchen helper was amusing and his singing was strong.

Queen:  portrayed as true pantomime baddie, with spine-chilling laugh and accompanied with her magic sparks and bangs.  Her sinister plot to kill Snow White was constantly evil.  A great performance.

    Biggs and Wedge:  an excellent partnership.  Their rivalry was amusing and in good panto tradition.

Magic Mirror:  gave slyly derogatory asides in a meaningful voice while still being superficially polite to the Queen.  Truly funny, an excellent characterisation.  The camp character in the magic mirror was superb!

The Robbers:  led by the formidable Bruiser Bill, this group brought out the humour in their characters in their dancing.  A very nice change from the dwarves and Disney characters.

Altogether this was a noticeably happy production, with the whole cast thoroughly enjoying themselves in bringing the story to life. The very strong characters of the Dame, the Queen, Poncho and the mirror shone throughout the production, acting as very effective support to Ferdinand and Snow White.  On another day with fewer difficulties among the cast this would have been a superb production, I have no doubt.  Congratulations

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