Snow White

What a pleasure it was to revisit Fladbury Village Hall for the Players’ annual pantomime, which this year was Snow White.  And going by the levels of enthusiasm amongst the raucous, packed out audience, I wasn’t the only one who had been looking forward to it! 

The show opened with Queen Malevolent, played by a wonderfully boo-worthy Helen Jones,  amusingly optimistic about her age and seeking some reassurance about her appearance from the Spirit of the Mirror, played in endearingly camp style by James Woodward (I particularly liked his mobile version!)  As we all know, the Queen had been usurped in the beauty stakes by palace drudge Snow White, charmingly portrayed by Izzy Smith.  The arrival of the handsome Prince Rupert (a confident Scarlet Wheeler) sent the whole court into a tailspin, and it wasn’t long before Malevolent was summoning a Huntsman (Freya Cole) to do away with poor Snow White.  The burgeoning romance between Snow and Rupert was well portrayed, with a nice version of the song ‘Love is an Open Door’ sealing the deal.

Meanwhile, Dame Doitall, brilliantly played as ever by Rob Brown (who also directed) and Handy Andy, played by Jonathan Brotherton in impeccable panto style, were getting into all sorts of comedic scrapes.  They provided bags of traditional panto fun, and the energy and commitment they brought to their roles reaped huge dividends.  I also can’t help but be impressed by the nine different costumes worn by the Dame during the show!  Also joining in the fun were Keith Holman as a conflicted Lord Chamberlain, complete with world-weary catchphrase; and Donna Davies as the excitable Lady Henrietta. 

Back to the story, and following the Huntsman’s act of mercy, Snow White found herself lost in the woods and feeling scared, as a show-stopping rendition of ‘On My Own’ made clear.  But all was not lost, as Gosia Michalak’s Owl was soon on the scene to shepherd her to the house of the seven dwarfs.  The roles were filled by an absolutely charming young cast, who did a great job in bringing out their individual characters, as they formed a winning bond with Snow White.  So, well done to James Eksteen (Chief), Leon Michalak (Sniffles), Georgia Cox (Grumps), April Edmunds (Dozy), Goerge Woodward (Snoozy), Alice Eksteen (Timid), and Gabriel Michalak (Smiley).  The ability and enjoyment shown by these young performers was a delight to see, and they absolutely charmed everyone in the audience. 

A shout out too for the members of the chorus (some of whom played dwarves on alternate performances) – Eva Wickens, Oscar Solley, Emilia Cox, Lucy Poultney, Lola Jackson, Anna Woodward, Carly Jackson and Sam Gibson.  They all played their part, particularly in the group numbers, such as ‘Nine to Five’ and ‘The Time Warp’.  The Owl ballet was also nicely choreographed (well done to Izzy Smith and Freya Cole) and performed. 

The climax of the tale featured the well-known poison apple scene, which in a nice touch saw Malevolent completely transformed into a Crone (Lisa Cole) who delivered the fruit to poor, unaware Snow White.  Happily, Prince Rupert arrived in time and his kiss rescued the damsel in distress, to great cheers from all!  All that was left was to banish Malevolent to the magic mirror, which was achieved with a particularly impressive special effect.  The traditional panto singalong was huge fun (I maintain that our side was louder!) and the final wedding scene brought the whole thing to a rousing conclusion.

There were some particularly nice costumes on display – credit is due to the team of Toni Hall, Liz Wilkes, Beth Milsam and Rob Brown, and make up was also dealt with effectively.  I also liked the bits of staging that were used, including the pleasingly asymmetric door to the dwarves’ cottage and the magic mirror.  These also has the advantage of not being subject to technical gremlins! 

My congratulations to the whole team at Fladbury Players, who once again delivered a classic, fun-packed family pantomime, which the audience of friends, family and locals absolutely lapped up.  Well done, and I look forward to seeing you all next year!

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