“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is 2 hours 30 minutes of pretty epic festive fun” The King’s Festival Theatre Panto returns with its biggest production to date.
📍Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
📅 Sat 17 Dec 2022 to Sun 22 Jan 2023
💷 From £26.50
🕖 Various times: See Tickets & Dates tab for full details
🕖 Running time (approx.): 2 hours 30 minutes (includes 1 interval)
👍 Produced by: Crossroads Pantomimes
🎬 Director: Ed Curtis
🩰 Choreographer: Karen Martin
🎵 Sound Designer: Richard Brooker
🔨 Set Designer: Ian Westbrook
🎂 Parental Discretion
🎭 Audio Description: 07 Jan 2PM, 13 Jan 7PM, Touch Tours: 07 Jan 1PM, 13 Jan 6PM, BSL Interpreted: 07 Jan 2PM, 13 Jan 7PM
The King’s Festival Theatre Panto returns this Festive season complete with familiar faces, daft capers, and plenty of local banter. This time around, it’s Edinburgh’s turn for pantomime behemoth Crossroads Pantomime’s rendition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and if the show’s rails are well worn, it seems there is some space for innovation; oh and for spending cash, lots of cash.
The originating Snow White tale is still recognisable in the central yarn, though reworked to minimise step-familial connections between Queen Dragonella (Liz Ewing), and Snow White (Francesca Ross), and to introduce Prince Hamish (Brian James Leys) – well we are in Scotland – as a suitor from the get go. The Seven Dwarfs, referred to as The Magnificent Seven, rather than put-upon miners, are Snow White’s long-banished guardians, but are still seven strong, and prone to singing ‘Hi-Ho.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Festival Theatre Panto, without the well-kent faces of Allan Stewart, Grant Stott, and Jordan Young, and each proves on fine form . Stott’s Lord Lucifer is the man in the mirror, though liberated by some narrative finagling to play Hibs-loving co-villain to the evil Queen. Stewart, a dame with decade’s of fun beneath her petticoats, plays Snow White’s Nurse May, whilst Young is the princess’s hopelessly in love best pal, and chief dafty, Muddles. Newest addition to the home team, Clare Gray, also has a grand time as Queen Dragonella’s rebellious i.e. good, daughter Princess Lavinia.
Befitting to a local institution, the panto hits all the expected beats, relying on the entirely reliable chemistry between the core cast to produce most of the laughs. Stewart leans into his annual pop medleys, still light on his feet after a couple of decades tripping the light fantastic. Stott earns plenty of boos, as much for his football loyalties as his murderous intentions on stage, whilst Young earns rightful applause for his post-intermission rapid, rhyming re-cap of the story thus far. However, by far the most hilarious potential lies in their Chinese whispers set-piece, whereby the three set themselves up for disaster by relaying tales ripe with words such as ‘site’, ‘sit’ and ‘Sighthill’.
The Magnificent Seven are trusted with opening the show, and don’t disappoint, exhibiting plenty of energy, and most importantly clarity when dealing with the introductory exposition. However, by pivoting the story to romance between Prince and Princess, and the evil machinations of Queen, and Man in the Mirror, the seven aren’t much in evidence again until the play’s finale. It feels like a missed opportunity, and an under-use of talent.
However, kudos are absolutely due to the show, for its empowering of Snow White as a human being with agency. Rather than a prize for the most worthy male, her choices govern her fate. What a refreshing change from some previous year’s efforts, and let’s hope it sets a precedent. Ross in her professional debut is admirably composed, and very sweet voiced. However, in further innovations to the format, she isn’t saddled with sole responsibility for carrying the big musical numbers, and James Leys exhibits a fine set of pipes to share the load. Maybe there’s really no peril for either Princess of Prince to be found in the central story, and the happy ending is never in doubt, but Liz Ewing certainly knows how to own a stage. Her Queen Dragonella follows in a fine tradition of scheming panto wrong-uns, and would fit right into a darker take on the story.
Now Crossroads Pantomimes are always lavish affairs, but this production takes matters to quite another level than usual. Perhaps feeling the expanse of the Festival Theatre stage, money has clearly been no object in creating sets, costumes, and immense animatronics. This review has no intention of saying much on the latter, it really should come as a surprise to an audience. Suffice to say, the special effects thanks to The Twins FX are genuinely special. This is a beautifully over the top musical theatre experience. Think of the big productions which were once beamed nationwide from the Royal Palladium, combine that with modern technology, and you won’t go far wrong. Rick Coates overseeing the orchestra pit, Musical Director Andy Pickering, and Sound Designer Richard Brooker certainly know how to produce and engineer a fine sounding show. Karen Martin’s all singing, all dancing ensemble are on point continually, in and out of the most abundant, and sometimes furry costuming!
There’s really only one slightly off-note in the entire production, though surprisingly it appears during Young, Stott, and Stewart’s annual lip-sync comedy sketch. Whilst executed very, very well, the subject matter of date-night gone wrong is taken too far into the explicit. Surely, the youth of today is less innocent than those of decade’s past, and bawdy humour has its place in the panto tradition, but matters fall off the innuendo cliff and into the crude. It’s lazy writing.
It’s a polar opposite to Stott’s big number, which re-works Michael Jackon’s ‘Bad’ to bemoan the depredations of the Trams to Newhaven construction project. It’s big, it’s clever, and it’s funny. Such well pitched, well choreographed humour is peppered throughout the show, often surprising, and continually welcome. Saying more would spoil an audience’s enjoyment, and so more will not be said.
All in all, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is 2 hours 30 minutes of pretty epic festive fun, and, wonder of wonders, and even allows for some audience interaction! For years, Crossroads, and Qdos before them have engineered big panto productions without a single ‘it’s behind you’, and often not even a ‘oh no it isn’t’, but not so this year. It’s a small Christmas miracle, and results in a far more engaged, and animated audience. Who knows, next year we might even get a sing-along to close the show!
Photography Credits: Douglas Robertson)
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