This is one of the highest production value pantomimes I have ever seen. No expense has been spared on creating a truly magical stage experience, from the flying dragon to the talking mirror, it's filled with wow moments.
As with many pantomimes, the plot is not exactly a true reflection on the original story. In this case Snow White (Zoe George) is celebrating her 21st birthday. She is due to marry Prince Harry (Joshua St Clair) but Queen Lucretia (Craig Revel-Horwood) has other ideas. The Stalder Academy of Dance make up half of the ensemble - a group of schoolchildren. It was nice to see them on stage enjoying themselves. Ben Nickless as Muggles is the standout performer for me. His comic timing was excellent and banter with the audience was great. There were a few moments when it appeared like he messed up, however I'm sure these were all planned. Nevertheless they all had the audience in stitches. The fact he was local added to his charm. The audience loved him.
Panto veteran; Eric Potts takes on the role of Dame Nora Crumble. His chemistry with Nickless was great and both made a hilarious comedy duo. There was a moment when he was reciting a tounge twister (She saw Shirley Shaw selling sushi at the sushi store on Saturday) and almost let a profanity slip out, but he managed to pull it back round and make the audience laugh. If you're easily offended you may want to cover your kids ears during this scene.
A unique take on the '12 Days of Christmas' was one of the highlights of the show. Watching the characters run back and forth was hilarious in it, but you know you're asking for trouble using so many props in a short space of time. The cast handled it brilliantly, even though it had rather disastrous consequences.
A panto would not be a panto without some good old fashioned filthy humour and Snow White was no exception. Muddles' shopping trolley full of chocolate brands provided this moment, which left me laughing but also in shock that they did that in front of so many children. To be fair though most of this would have gone over the children's heads. There was a cute child moment when three kids were invited on stage to help recite a tounge twister. Muddles was great at dealing with them and he even got a bit of a roasting from them. Once you've seen one pantomime you've seen them all. There is nothing new here but it's more about the humour and having a good time.
The choreography was excellent and the adult ensemble were terrific. There was even a moment a same-sex couple dancing, which was nice to see the pantomime being diverse and inclusive of all.
Snow White has her seven dwarves and the actors on stage put their knees at risk to take on their roles. Despite a few questionable attempts at a Mancunian accent, their physicality had the audience roaring with every step they took.
Of course a special mention has to go to Craig Revel-Horwood in his role of evil Queen Lucretia. While he uses a lot of the mannerisms he's become well known for on Strictly, I was taken aback to discover he's got a good singing voice. His rendition of 'My Way' was one of the highlights of the evening - so powerful. He sashayed around the stage like a real queen - he was born to play a panto dame!
In conclusion, Snow White is a very slick show with a no expense spared set and elaborate costumes. It's hard to find a fault as I spent the whole show with a huge smile on my face.
Reviewer - Brian Madden
on - 9/12/19
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