Snow White and the 8 Dwarfs

This was a community pantomime in every sense of the word.  The author, who is also the director, is a local gentleman.  The cast too are all local people.  There was a lovely family feel from the moment the audience arrived, for they too were mainly Colyton folk.  

The script had been cleverly written with much of it being in rhyme.  This was most entertaining and moved the story along at a good pace.  Careful attention had been given to clear diction and also aided by a well-organised sound system, it was easy to follow the dialogue.  The many songs too had been written by the author,  with the storytelling continuing in new lyrics being set to well-known tunes.  There were some very good voices on stage and the singing was confident and most enjoyable.  The story is a familiar one but this time there was a twist.  Not seven dwarfs but eight with the eighth dwarf being a rather tall man, looking even taller next to the seven young actors playing the dwarfs.  He was called Lofty and apparently just "Grew and Grew!"  The Queen had fabulously made-up eyes and an equally fabulous costume.   She was a confident and frightening Queen even before the Mirror tells her she is no longer the Most Beautiful in the Land, at which point she became enraged, following the panto tradition where the Goodies are really good and the Baddies are really bad.  On the side of goodness was the Fairy looking and sounding quite enchanting, just as a fairy should.  The Mirror was positioned stage left and a disembodied face was seen whenever the Mirror was called upon to speak, which was very effective.

The Dame was sporting a beard which was ideal.  Always to be preferred, in my view,  when the Dame is most definitely "a man in a frock". He had a number of costume changes into suitably over the top frocks and accessories which "she" flaunted with style.

The two idiots were great fun and showed lots of energy.  They were dressed in suits with the tall one being tidy and more serious.  The shorter one being rather a "Wide Boy" with lots of confidence and attitude, which made for a really good contrast.

Snow White, the heroine of the story, was so badly treated by the wicked Queen and yet so trusting and kind.  She is awoken by a kiss from the prince in good panto tradition.  Lovely to see these two characters so charmingly played by young people.  

Bertie, Snow White's friend, was played with much enthusiasm.  The Huntsman was also convincing, with the right stature and bearing, showing the inner conflict in deciding to spare Snow White.

The Dwarfs were kept very busy throughout the panto so it was sensible to have two separate teams for this.  It also gave more keen young actors a chance to experience the teamwork involved in putting a successful show together and presenting it to the audience.  The chorus was busy, too, and their numbers were made up of adults as well as youngsters.

The cast was composed of very young, a little older and a few much older actors with a spread of experience from complete beginners to those having been on stage many times before.  Excellent use was made of the younger members so that all the characters had been cast in an appropriate age group.  

This panto benefitted greatly from the author's many years of stage experience.  Scenes such as the Ghost Gag were fast and clever and never overplayed.  

Colyton Town Hall has the advantage of an unusually high stage so although the seating is on the flat there is never a problem with being able to see.  The sets were simple and bright and the Dwarfs' cottage was charming.   Some entrances, particularly by the Dwarfs, were made through the auditorium adding to the enjoyment.  The lighting was exciting and the sound very good.  The costumes were attractive and colourful with many, if not all of them,  being made by the Wardrobe team.

I heard that almost all the cast had been suffering from really bad colds but that did not show in the standard of the performance, it was full of energy.  Months of hard work and commitment had produced a result to be proud of.  Congratulations for giving your audience an evening of traditional live entertainment.

 

 

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