Families were transported to the magical realm of panto land once again at Nottingham Theatre Royal with its production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The scene was set from the start, with a giant fairytale book being created on the stage as audience members waited for the show to start.
The Spirit of Pantomime, played by Natalie Brown, and the seven dwarfs started the story off with the help of a magical screen to show the audience the start of the classic tale about how Snow White's father married the evil Queen Lucretia, played by the phenomenal Faye Tozer, best known from the pop band Steps.
The performance followed the life of Snow White as she longed to reunite with the dashing Prince William of West Bridgford, despite the efforts of the evil Queen. Portrayed by Lucy Ireland, Snow White was supported throughout from the help of her nurse Mrs Nelly Nightnurse, played by David Robbins and her best friend Muddles, played by the hilarious Joe Pasquale.
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Joe made the audience giggle, laugh and howl with his quick-witted responses, mischievous actions and desire to infuriate the Queen. Although we all got quite a shock at the "not funny" moment when poor Muddles was injured by his chair.
In addition to Snow White and Prince William's love story, the audience got to witness many jaw-dropping moments from the rather cheeky and at times rude Muddles who you couldn't help but love, although at times the audience saw a bit more of Joe than expected.
There were plenty of jokes and comical moments throughout to keep the whole family in stitches of laughter, including a lot of references to Nottingham and a few digs at Derby and Downing Street. Thee direct questions to the audience kept everyone engaged especially the kids and those on the front row that were covered in toilet paper, confetti and even water during the night.
Throughout the performance there were many wow moments for families, including when Muddle's car floated over the audience and every time the magic mirror appeared or disappeared in a cloud of smoke, often with sparks. However, the beautifully designed costumes had the characters always looking their best, especially Nelly who had more costume changes than anyone else, and paired with the fantastic music it was like a constant party on the stage.
Despite being the evil Queen, Faye had won the audience over by the end with half a dozen Steps references and getting the whole theatre up and dancing to her iconic song tragedy at the end. Everyone from the toddlers to the great-grandparents were clapping and cheering along throughout the entire production, it really was a performance that the whole family could enjoy together.
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