Snow White at DeMontfort Hall

 

Review by Paul Towers, 14/12/24

Snow White by Eric Potts & Janice Dunn

Directed by Janice Dunn

Produced by Imagine Theatre Ltd

At DeMontfort Hall until Sunday 5^th January 2025

Panto season is in full swing and this weekend I was at, in my humble opinion, the best that Leicester has to offer with Snow White at DeMontfort Hall.

The start of the run has had a minor hiccup when Gyasi Sheppy, who was playing Prince Laurance, had to pull out due to family issues. Thankfully Leicester favourite Anthony Costa of Blue is able to step in from 17^th December. The Prince’s understudy, choreographer Stuart Rogers, stepped into the breach and, if I am honest, you can’t see the join! It was like he was cast from the start.

So it was with mounting excitement that the sold out auditorium waved their light sticks and munched down on bags of Haribo expectantly.

The ensemble of eight dancers/singers and, as we eventually discovered, puppeteers opened the show backing up the first song from Snow White (Tash Bacarese-Hamilton). However it wasn’t long before the wicked stepmother in the shape of Queen Morgania (the deliciously fiery Divina De Campo) was spitting venom at all and sundry. Including the audience.

Attempting to massage the ego of the Queen was The Spirit of The Mirror (Leicester’s own Sam Bailey) while the court lackies, Nurse Nora (Jack Ballard) and Muddles (Jared Christmas) are torn between obeying the monstrous monarch and protecting Snow White.

These days nobody outside of London can afford to use real dwarves in panto so puppets have replaced them and Abigail Matthews has an effective Seven Dwarves operated by the ensemble.

To further people the village and court there are three Junior Ensembles culled from local schools

Snow White runs at DeMontfort Hall until Sunday 5^th January 2025

https://www.demontforthall.co.uk

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

Sleeping Beauty

 

Review by Paul Towers, 13/12/24

Sleeping Beauty, devised and directed by John Bale

Musical Direction by Paul Timms, choreography by Caroline Walsh

Produced by Leicester Drama Society

At The Little Theatre until Sunday 5^th January 2025

As we climbed the stairs to the auditorium the noise got louder as a sold out audience of school children bounced up and down in anticipation of the show. It is pantomime time at The Little Theatre, which means Christmas is just round the corner.

This year’s offering, stewarded by John Bale as always, is Sleeping Beauty. The eternal tale of the Princess Aurora (Sophie May), her father King Sat-Upon of Arcadia (Allan Smith in his first panto role) and the trials of navigating a dysfunctional family dynamic.

At the princess’s christening her aunt Carabosse (Olivia Phillips) is missed off the invitation list and she swears a terrible vengeance by cursing the princess to prick her finger and die on her 16^th birthday. This is mitigated by Fairy Fairweather (Rose Bale) so she only has to sleep for 100 years and be awoken by a handsome Prince Rupert (Thom Jones).

To add mirth and mayhem to the mix there is Dame Nanny Night-Nurse (John Bale) in ever more outrageous costumes and her sidekick Tickle the Jester (Russell Webster).

A coterie of six leggy dancers wearing even more glamorous costumes populate the castle.

This production is a very traditional pantomime so expect lots of groaning puns, convoluted rhymes and plenty of songs shoe-horned into the plot. The script includes lots of modern social references and, while very family friendly, there are a few sly gags for the grown ups. Just so they don’t feel left out.

With hissing and booing galore last night’s Pess Night audience had a terrific time.

Sleeping Beauty runs at The Little Theatre until Sunday 5^th January 2025. Tickets are selling fast so don’t delay.

https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

Snow White

 

Review by Paul Towers, 29/11//24

Snow White by Morgan Brind

Directed by Morgan Brind

Produced by Little Wolf Entertainment

At Loughborough Town Hall until Sunday 5^th January 2025

This years offering at Loughborough Town Hall is another Little Wolf triumph. Their Snow White is the most traditional of pantomimes with goodies and baddies enough to boo, hiss and cheer right from the start.

The tone of the show is set right from the beginning when Queen Nocturna (Cara Dudgeon) spits her venom on the audience and pulls off a fabulous stooge gag. Snow White (Emma Robertson) is saccharine goodness personified as she is banished from court by the wicked queen who covets her inheritance. It is only through the squeamishness of vegan Hamish The Huntsman (Stuart Turner) that she escapes having her heart ripped out (a nice bit of horror for the kiddies!).

Alone in the woods she stumbles upon the house of seven banished diamond miners (cue predictable gags about Maggie shutting the mines). Normally the dwarves would be played by children or even, budget permitting, actual dwarves. But in this case they are cleverly played by puppets. These are so innovative as have to be seen to be believed. There are also some traditional woodland animals played by the junior team members.

Of course every panto has to have a Dame and Snow White has a master (mistress?) of the art in Matthew Siveter’s Dame Cilla Bang (geddit?) who is ably assisted by Keanu Leaves (Elliot Coombe) as the Buttons-esque junior idiot.

For some romantic interest for Snow White there is Prince Rupert  (Ben Williamson-Jones), thick as mince and far too nice for his own good.

So there we have the headline characters and all the elements of a traditional pantomime are ready and waiting. These elements then have to have a good script to hang them on and Morgan Brind’s is a cracker. Whip sharp and right up to date without losing any of the story. There is slapstick, messy routines and great prop routines. Everything you could ask for. Both adults and children in the audience were howling with laughter. Which is as it should be.

Snow White runs at Loughborough Town Hall until 5^th January 2025

https://www.loughboroughtownhall.co.uk/

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/