Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Being asked to deputise for a colleague is always appreciated, and watching this vibrant pantomime on a windy, rainy evening was a pleasure.  Snow White had all the traditional elements you expect to find with a wicked queen, a colourful over the top dame and of course, the hero principal boy to fall in love with.

Lily Clements was great as Snow White, I really enjoyed Paige Howdens characterful performance, as menacing Queen Avarice, who was justifiably greeted with boos every time she made an entrance.  Krystian Wharton was the hilarious dame Edna Bucket, I lost count of the many different, colourful costume changes topped off with complimentary hairstyles, one of which had a mind of its own on the night I attended, but this all added to the hilarity of the performance.  Every pantomime features a character who engages the audience, and this time, Hannah Muxlow played Chuckles with energetic charm.  It was a pleasure to see several familiar faces performing on stage once more, each showing growth in confidence.  Erin Mooney took on the role of Prince Ferdinand, and Sophia Powers portrayed the enchanting Fairy Fortune. Alex Nash played Merlin, the mirror, with fabulous flamboyant style.  Lee Walker took on the role of Slurp, the Queen’s servant. Calum Reynolds appeared as the Justice Quill, while I thought his scribe, Scribbles was brought to life by Charlene Payton who delivered many of the script’s best jokes with great skill. The audience really laughed out load at Scribbles who basically took all the performance time to get up to speed with modern technology, but still didn’t actually get it, I still smile when recalling some of her lines.

The dwarfs being a mix of youngsters and adults worked really well, it was easy to identify their different characters especially due to the lovely colour coded outfits, it must have been challenging to move across the stage never mind dance on their knees! The way the costume’s covered and disguised their feet was really well controlled, in fact I didn’t spot anyone’s feet throughout, as can often be the case. The dwarfs were - Eloise Tanley (Brainy) Mia Dorey (Smiley) Lizzy Small (Dopey) Stephen Whittick (Grumbly) Summer-Rose Farrell (Blushful) Aine Shirley (Snoozy) Lucas Wharton (Sniffle). Credit should also be given to the enthusiastic ensemble of over twenty maids, servants, spirits, minions, and courtiers, each of whom had their moment to shine. The pantomime was also enhanced by the entertaining UV scene.

The production team had clearly selected popular musical numbers that helped convey the story through their lyrics, however, I would appreciate having the musical numbers listed in the program as after being absorbed in the detail of the show. Sadly on this occasion I was only able to make a mental note of ‘One Way or Another’ and ‘Think I’m Going To Marry You’. I do know for certain there were many more solos and ensemble numbers worthy of mentioning that had all the audience joining in.

Congratulations to everyone involved. You were all clearly having such fun on stage and this contributed positively to the audience's overall enjoyment.

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