PANTOMIME REVIEW: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs - The Grand Theatre, Blackpool

At this time of year, there are so many pantomimes on offer, most of which have one of about six or seven familiar titles. It is true to say that the majority are much of a muchness with familiar well-worn routines, characters and jokes. Amidst this sea of tradition, a few pantos stand out head and shoulders above the rest; one such production has to be ‘Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs’ at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre.

All the standard ingredients are here in this show: the wicked queen, the ‘dame’, the charming prince, the dwarfs and of course the title character, Snow White. The story is essentially what you'd expect with no significant changes and there are several well-known pop songs thrown in with a dance troupe performing around the singers. So what makes this pantomime so good? In essence, it is very, very funny (on two levels!), extremely well-cast and a remarkably slick production.

‘Snow White’ is introduced by ‘Muddles’, a sort of Buttons-character who effectively MC’s the show, played by local star Steve Royle, who delights in having come third in ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’ Royle is a consummate entertainer, in the tradition of Lancashire comedians such as Eric Morecombe, Les Dawson and Arthur Askey. Blackpool Grand clearly recognise a real talent when they see one because they’ve already booked him for next year’s panto; ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

With the strong presence of Steve Royle, none of the rest of the cast are overshadowed and the essence of team spirit is there to see in a hilarious rendition of the Twelve Days Of Christmas. This is an old standard which is often a tedious show-filler but in ‘Snow White’, it is done brilliantly in an anarchic, haphazard way that makes it one of the highlights of the evening. The fun of the show is balanced by a nicely wicked queen played by Vicky Entwistle; she doesn’t just want to see Snow White dead but wants her heart cut out and presented to her in a presentation box! (a nod to the grisliness of the original Grimm brothers’ stories).

Jamie Steen wears what must be one the most ostentatiously impressive costume assemblages ever put together for a pantomime dame, in perfect contrast to Chris Warner Drake is the smooth, impossibly gallant, upstanding Prince (Drake’s previous credits include playing a captain in one of the Avengers superhero movies!). Ellie Green makes for an almost sweet and innocent Snow White, justifying breaking and entering on the grounds that ‘Goldilocks did it!’.

Credit must be also given to two ensembles, the dwarfs and the dancers. The dwarfs are played by actual little people who are given distinct personalities and allowed their own individual turns in specific scenes. The dancers provide more than just background entertainment, wearing a wide range of great costumes whilst blending into various character ensembles, from loyal courtiers to wicked queen henchmen.

A really impressive part of ‘Snow White’ are the sets. Many pantomimes rely on a range of back paintings to set scenes but in this show, most of the scenes have sets making full use of the generous amount of stage space. Pride of place is a remarkable dwarf’s cottage which opens out into an incredible two-level set. The talking mirror is also done very well.

‘Snow White’ is a full-on show where the pace is maintained throughout, providing two and a half hours of fun and laughter. A lot of thought had clearly gone into presenting a well-worn story with a thoroughly modern, up-to-date script, and this is a great show which is funny and done full justice by a great cast.

Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 4.12.21