Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

CATS’ performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a traditional take on the fairytale, full of jokes, puns and hearty fun. Snow White was well played by Ruth Odell, she has a beautiful voice which blended well on the duets with Prince Ferdinand played by Bianca Harker. The dame, Edna Bucket, or “Edina Bouquet” as she pronounced it (Luke Campbell Simcoe) had the audience laughing in their seats with her over the top shenanigans. Craig Douglas had the tricky task as Chuckles of engaging the audience in participating. It was a tough crowd to crack but he got there eventually (and must have been exhausted!). The bad queen and Snow White’s stepmother Queen Avarice (Cheryle Hill) kept the audience booing and had the evilest cackle. There was great witty chemistry between anxious Justice Quill (Belinda Steward) and her incompetent sidekick, Scribbles (Lindsey James). Sam Leach as Merlin of the Mirror and Janet Askew as Slurp clearly enjoyed playing their roles and kept the audience entertained. Fairy Fortune was softly spoken and well played by Abi Hill. The principal characters were not fazed by any heckling from the audience and were quick to ad lib when things didn’t quite go to plan. 

In my opinion, the show was stolen by the seven dwarves. They were excellently played by children, each sticking to their characters throughout their performance. The children clearly knew their lines and didn’t miss a beat. 

The principal characters were supported by a good sized company, core dancers and a junior dance troupe. 

Barbara Hockey (Musical Director), along with Pete Morgan and Mike Kilsby provided excellent live accompaniment to the musical numbers. Barbara arranged the numbers to show off the talented singers with some beautiful harmonies for the company. 

Sheena Brown provided the choreography for the junior dance troupe. It was a small group of 6 young dancers yet they owned the stage. They all knew what they were doing and shone with confidence in their dance numbers. 

Marcia Mitchell provided the direction and choreography for the core dancers and company. The dances were in keeping with the feel of the show and were well tailored to the abilities of the performers. I particularly enjoyed the mirror scene between Edna Bucket and Queen Averice. The timing of both performers was on the mark and very amusing for the audience. 

Although all of the main characters wore microphones, it’s unfortunate that the microphones were not always turned on in time for their first lines on stage. The balance of the band and singers was not always level either, with the band sometimes louder than the singers but this was out of the company’s control. 

During the chase scene, there was clever use of strobe lighting to give the feel of a 1930s silent movie. It was simple, yet very effective.  

The scenery and props were in keeping with the nature of the scenes. It’s a shame that the projection wasn’t working for this performance but had I not been told about this, I would have been none the wiser. It didn’t throw off the performers, they continued their scenes with ease and confidence. 

Thank you to Janis Young and Janet Askew for their warm welcome and hospitality. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. 

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