Snow White

From the moment we had sight of the stunning opening front cloth, beautifully painted and all a-glitter, we knew we were in for another Upstagers’ pantomime of quality. Apparently, this year all the costumes were made in-house and so the first praise must go to the fabulous wardrobe team who made and acquired hundreds of really beautiful costumes, each detailed and carefully considered. Very well done to them all. Great to see their photographs in the lavish programme.

The show opened to the evil genius of the Wicked Queen and her captive magic mirror. This was Daisy Button’s debut as a principal for Upstagers and she certainly impressed as Queen Eviline; great diction, great singing and always beautifully presented. Landon Crowther was an imposing Magic Mirror, wonderfully costumed and with an ironic sense of fun always lurking below the surface.

Cut to the opening chorus with the fantastic ensemble and dancers, led by an energetic Snow White. Amy-Pearl Watt was great in this role. The smile and the enthusiasm never waned. The audience were invited to participate from the very start of the show and the script writers had included up to date and local references so that the show seemed to be Ilkley’s own. I hope the jibes at Keighley and Silsden were always affectionate!

Music was excellent throughout. Phil Walsh as MD led an excellent band. The wonderful dance numbers were in the hands of choreographer Laura Williams and her assistant Bea Whiteley. Members from tots to young adults were all cleverly accommodated in some very large dance sequences.

This year there was a comedy team of three. Favourites Mike Riley as Nurse Nellie and Alex Wright as Muddles were joined by Benji Kirk as Boris of Burley. Together they guided the audience through the story and made us laugh. Many of the gags were good old fashioned pantomime favourites, but I loved the running gag of Nurse Nellie’s dream of being a professional athlete again. This culminated in an hilarious sketch with Mike (plus associates) winning gold on the pommel horse. Complete with star curtain and dramatic lighting, this was a fantastic scene.

Joey Wilby and John Clark who wrote the pantomime made every effort to make this a panto for 2026, and the introduction of the Mini Minors was a master stroke. It avoided stereotypes and at the same time it created a great opportunity for some younger members to shine. Over the course of the run, fourteen junior members had a real chance to demonstrate their skills and they grabbed that opportunity. I saw Team B: Harriet Joyner, Josie Nevison, Jessica Dawson, Lucy Murphy, Matilda Hitchcock, Jessica Murphy and Bea Easter, but I’m sure Team A were just as strong.

Act Two opened with an impressive number, C’est la Vie moving straight into a clever moment on the Ilkley Express. You could have watched this piece three times over and still not caught all the very clever cameos. Pantomime gold! Indeed, Act Two oozed with special moments. I enjoyed the gender reversal when Prince Charming went to sleep and Snow White made the proposal. Amy-Pearl and Lily Normington made a lovely pair as Snow White and the prince. Prince William of Wharfedale came complete with his very own Yorkshire accent but still a very noble bearing. Well done, Lily.

But on this occasion the glue to the whole production were Alex Wright and Mike Riley. They are such experienced performers and can ad lib and adapt so that you always feel in safe hands. Working with the audience is a very special skill. The running joke with Nurse Joe went just far enough and the audience volunteer was always teased but with respect. Well done to them. This amid a dozen costume changes for Mike, shows how very skilled they both are. And congratulations to Mike’s dressers, whoever you are.

Panto is by its very nature multi-scened and needs to be fast moving. The use of blinders to effect invisible scene changes was impressive. The flash of the Mini Miners torches was a simple but really amusing effect to add some variety to this technique. Technically the whole show was spot on, as we have come to expect. One sits in the audience and feels that no expense was spared to bring you great entertainment.

The Upstagers production team of John Clark, Andrew Hewitt and Joey Wilby should be very proud of their continuing work. They are supported by a huge team and together they give many young people their first experience of theatre both on the stage and in the audience. It is wonderful that local families can experience a great show at an affordable price. As Nurse Nellie says ‘You don’t get this at the Alhambra!’

 

 

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