Snow White

This version of the traditional tale of Snow White was rewritten for Kaleidoscope by Jenna Grace. A first-time writer of a pantomime script, Jenna has also directed the production for this junior cast.

As the show opened, we were introduced to the wonderful Alexa Grace Roberts in a strong portrayal of the Wicked Queen and the sparkling, silver Magic Mirror played by Ollie Hughes. This couple worked well together with Ollie demonstrating his disdain of the Queen while she openly admires herself in his reflection.

Fairy Starlight played by Ellie-Jayne Yates, delightfully transports us to the village setting for the story where we meet the other characters.

The audience are introduced to the villagers and the prince. This young cast brought the story of Snow White, to life. There were seventeen lead characters, eight Academy ensemble members, twenty-two Junior chorus members and four seniors. As a group it was obvious how much time and effort had gone into creating this production. The choreography was good and presented with enthusiasm. Every member of the cast knew what they were doing and presented their dances and movement beautifully. The opening scene was fun and lively while the animal scene was delightful. The youngest members of the cast made extremely cute woodland creatures. Prince Richard, played by Millie Thomas had a bright and cheery demeanour that translated well onto the stage and gave her a good stage presence.

Hank the Huntsman played by Jac Gwynne gave a super performance of the character. His strong manner was able to lead the two local robbers Ben and Jerry played by Dylan Bourne and Leo-Dexter Lowe. These two young actors created a lovely double-act. They bounced off each other with tremendous comic timing that added to there comical performance. 

Every pantomime needs a Dame and we were not disappointed to meet Kaleidoscope’s very own Dame Dotty Totty Dimple played by Michael Bell. This is a difficult character for any actor, as the Dame is often responsible for lots of the comic moments in the production. Michael did not disappoint. He coped admirably with extravagant costumes and wigs while remaining in character and making the audience laugh out loud. Danielle Gorle played the part of Muddles. This character too was responsible for creating laughter but in a slightly different way. It was Muddles role to engage the audience with the action and to ensure funny lines were delivered and received. Danielle achieved this role beautifully; her enthusiasm, charisma and larger-than-life personality were perfect for this part as she kept the audience engaged throughout.

Maisy Hendry played the role of Snow White. This character is sweet, kind, and vulnerable. Maisy captured all these character traits extremely well within her performance, as we followed her journey through the story. We were introduced to the seven dwarves. Captain, played by Dominique Gorle gave a lovely, impressive performance as the leader of the seven dwarves. The other dwarves displayed their names on their costumes which looked great. Each one of them played their role well and made a very entertaining team.

Alexa as the Wicked Queen gave a commanding performance. Her diction and intonation were strong throughout and added impact to this role. The Wicked Queen worked beautifully in contrast to the other characters. She sang several powerful songs superbly. Fantastic Alexa

The singing and musical sections of this production added to the overall appeal. There were lovely solos and duets throughout. Ensemble pieces led by Snow White and then Muddles were fun and very-well performed. 

The costumes in this production were of the high standard we have grown to expect from this group. The scenery was fabulous and the lighting and sound were consistently good throughout. 

It is always a pleasure to see young people being given the opportunity to shine on stage. The ability to perform in front of an audience allows them to develop their skills and who knows what the future holds for them! This group obviously nurtures its young actors who all appear to be enjoying what they are doing. 

A production of this type could not go ahead without the support of parents, guardians, and chaperones, who all play a vital part in ensuring their children are able to access this wonderful thing that is amateur theatre. Congratulations to Jenna and her extensive team on this fun and enjoyable production. It was a pleasure to watch.

Thank you for inviting me and I look forward to seeing what Kaleidoscope do next!

 

The views in this report are solely the opinion of the writer.

 

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