Snow White
13th - 16th & 20th - 23rd February
Written and Directed by Sue Hickson
This was my first visit to a pantomime at Pateley Bridge so I was intrigued, having only seen them perform plays, to see how they dealt with this very different style of theatre. Well, the answer was “They absolutely nailed it !”. This was traditional panto at its finest; it had everything it should have and a few things (well, Seven to be precise) I’ve never seen before.
The pantomime was written and directed by Sue Hickson, who clearly has a love of the genre. So often, in-house written pantos drag on with either too much dialogue or too many songs but not this case. The balance was perfect – it was funny, fast-paced and very fruity. I presume the dance routines were done at Pineapple Studios and that your experienced actors cherry picked the plum parts? I promise, no more fruit references.
The title role of the piece, Snow White, was delightfully played by Eve Greenwood – Eve was perfect for the role, definitively princess-like and engaging throughout - no wonder the Prince (earnestly played by Sophia Gray) fell for her - their scenes together were charming.
Most of the joke telling and audience interaction came from Dame Lemon and Bobby Banana. Dame Lemon (Peter Buller) was as exuberant as any other dame I`d seen and obviously enjoyed the role, as did the audience.
Bertie Graham-Bell as Bobby proved how well he understood how to deliver a punchline - mind you, it also helps if you`re smiling throughout and know how bad the jokes really are, but delivering with conviction. This young man has a great future in amateur theatre.
Joyce Liggins and Connie Richards played Apple and Pear - both again showing an understanding of just how and when to deliver lines with perfect comedy timing.
Ruth Dodsworth, as the Wicked Stepmother, captured the essence of everything a pantomime villain should be - commanding, dramatic and charismatic.
I really enjoyed the down-trodden Baron (Darryl Hall) played with a slight irreverence.
Jo Jefferson, as the Good Fairy, was a delight to listen to and watch – her perfect diction of rhyme was an absolute joy.
Keith Burton was really good as the Mirror on the stand, rather than the wall. It was a very different way of portraying the Mirror, but it worked perfectly.
Chip (Debbie Forsyth) the Chipmunk was a silent friend to everybody – her makeup was amazing, right down to her toes !
Finally, Libby-Mae Eddy, Phoebe Bryant, Phoebe Kendall and Millie Reilly as Paula Hollywood and the Mistletoe Sisters were enthusiastic and joined in everything going on.
No, I haven’t forgotten about the Dwarfs – how could I possibly do that? I have never seen them played as 6+1 grown men, who thought they were small. They were absolutely hilarious – it really shouldn’t have worked but it most certainly did. Sue, it was well worth the effort persuading your backstage crew to get involved. Congratulations to Steve Colbourne, Justin Enthoven, Iain Johnson, Ian Lee, Kevin Murgatroyd, Bradley Pollard and Tim Wilkinson.
Costumes, Scenery, staging and lighting were really good – costumes were spot on, scene changes were slick, sound effects perfectly timed and effective lighting throughout. And the “knocking the demons of the tree” business was inspired and ingenious.
So full credit to Stage Manager(Justin Enthoven), Lighting (Steve Hunt), Props (Tessa Lee), AV & Sfx (Tom Barber and Sue Hickson) and costumes (Ruth Dodsworth, Shona Bostwick, Ann Shackleton & Jackie Kerr).
Director, Sue Hickson, must be extremely proud of what she and the company achieved with this Panto. Thank you for the invite and being entertained on a very wet afternoon in the Dales. Do I have to wait 2 years for the next one ?
Review by Bryan Craven NODA
Photographs by Chris Iredale