Mirror,
Mirror
Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs
Darlington Hippodrome
Until Sunday
14th January 2018
Despite being a tradition for families around
Christmas time, I love seeing Panto’s towards the end of their stints as the
casts are usually more relaxed and tend to allow the fun and let slight accidental
moments take centre stage. For me, a good panto must tick all the boxes: Lots
of songs that entertain but advance the plot, colourful sets and costumes, funny
jokes and not so funny dad jokes, bold sketches but most importantly, a show
that puts the audience at the heart of its story. This QDOS production of Snow
White ticks all the boxes.
Pantomime returns to Darlington after a season hiatus
due to the £13.7 million refurbishment of the newly renamed Hippodrome, which
not only is a beautiful home to show but allows Darlington to become the
setting of the story. Snow White, unlike most Pantos, often omits the use of a
fairy. Alan McHugh’s script cleverly uses the prologue to introduce the Seven
Dwarves, or in this story the Magnificent Seven, who introduces to how they
have been banished from the Kingdom and set up the plot.
We are introduced to Snow White (Natasha Hoeberigs)
who is waiting for the arrival of Prince Lee of Langton (Lee Ryan from boy band
‘Blue’), who she hasn’t since she was little, as he arrives on a quest to seek
a wife. Snow White insists on introducing him to best friend Muddles (Liam
Mellor), who has an unrequited love for the Princess. Thanks to some help from
his mother, Mrs Nora Crumble (Eric Potts), we see Muddles gain some much-needed
confidence on his small talk to impress Snow White but is cut short by the arrival
of Herman the Henchman (Patrick Monahan) and later Queen Sadista (Pop Idol and
local lass Zoe Birkett).
The rest of the show follows the traditional story,
where Queen Sadista’s jealousy of Snow White leads to the plot involving
killing the young Princess, only for the kind heart of Herman to break the
Queen’s spell and send her to live with his seven magnificent friends in the
woods. The Queen learns of this through her Magic Mirror (which features recorded
footage of past Civic Theatre Headliners The Chuckle Brothers’, Brendan Sheerin
of Channel 4’s Coach Trip and the legendary Krankies) and vows to search for
her in a spectacular finale to Act 1.
Act 2 sees Prince Lee’s search for Snow White continue
as Queen Sadista’s plans turn to black magic and the famous (or infamous)
poisoned apple, which we all know how that ends. As per everyone Pantomime, a
happy ending is always at hand as the Magnificent Seven return to the palace as
Queen Sadista is locked inside the very mirror which aided her.
Natasha Hoeberigs plays a kind hearted, traditionally
friendly Snow White, with a gracious voice and princess charm. Her chemistry
with everyone on stage and the audience allows her to avoid becoming a dainty
Disney princess, but a character that young girls can admire for gratitude. As
the headliner for this Panto, Lee Ryan packs in a neat performance, delivering
a passable performance with the bad boy charm he has shown from his appearance
in BBC Soap ‘EastEnders’.
The comedy is well supplied from all angles. Liam
Mellor proves his wealth of experience of Comic Leads and becomes an instant
hit with audience as the loveable teddy that every six-year-old has. Patrick
Monahan’s stand up experience serves him well as the not-so evil henchman,
especially with a more adult-filled audience like that performance.
In a time where Panto dames are evolving and become
more dragessque, Eric Potts hits the nail on the head with Mrs Norma with a
more typical approach. His energy is very infectious and for me he can easily
be placed as one of the top 5 dames in the country.
Each Panto company has their way of playing the Dwarfs,
some use real dwarfs while others tend use kid actors in costume heads to
utilise their young dancing troops and save on running costs. This production
uses the Shrek the Musical technique of having the actors on their knees with
their legs covered by a cape. These 7 actors pull off this risqué trick with
such energy and enthusiasm that makes the audience believe in the magic.
Special mentions to local lad Reece Sibbald who leads these merry men and to
Reuben Greeph, who plays the Saxophone live on stage for their big number.
The star of the show without a doubt is local lass Zoe
Birkett. Birkett isn’t your average reality star. Using her acting training and
West End credits, she makes evil seem effortless and a breeze without coming
across as whiny. Bringing in some fantastic production numbers, my highlight
was the end of Act 1 where she rides a Pterodactyl, supplied by illusionists’
Twin FX, into the audience while belting out ‘Queen of the Night’ to rapturous
applause.
QDOS have continued to produce a spectacular Panto
with a lively show filled with fabulous music, supplied by MD Steve Clark and
band, gorgeous set and costumes and laughs for all the family. With next year’s
Panto ‘Aladdin’ on sale now, all that’s left to say is ‘Mirror Mirror on the
wall, this Pantomime was great, I had a ball!’
Review by Robert Wilson Baker
Tickets:
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