Snow White
"Family fun at its finest!'”
Panto season has well and truly started, much to my delight, and after seeing the annual Wolverhampton Grand offering, Snow White, I am so pleased it has! This is a 5-star show and dare I say it, the best I’ve ever seen at the Grand. Let me explain why.
At its core, this show has many classic Panto elements and sticks to the story of Snow White, without massive deviation, which can sometimes happen within the artform of Pantomime. Everything about this show screams family fun at its finest and can be enjoyed by everyone.
Returning to Wolverhampton for Panto season are Tam Ryan and Ian Adams, playing ‘Muddles’ and ‘Nanny Nolly’ respectively…..this year! They are also the writers of the show and are clearly the dream team when it comes to generating laughs. There are many wonderfully comedic moments between the pair throughout the show with the usual slapstick elements, cream pies, or in this case cream icing, and the water pistols that always raise the roof with the younger members of the audience. Through every scene, both Ryan and Adams give 100% to ensure that we all have the best time during our trip to the fictional town of Wulfruna. There are plenty of local references scattered throughout the show too and celebration of the local football team, Wolverhampton Wanderers with an on-screen cameo by Steve Bull himself. Clearly proud of the work they are doing this year, it was also really touching to hear Ryan commending the ensemble cast, who, as I will explain shortly, were the beating heart of this Pantomime.
Our Snow White is every inch the Disney Princess. Evie Pickerill, best known for being a presenter on CBeebies is perfectly cast in this role. Her innocence in portraying the shy Princess was fantastic and her energy was infectious throughout. Vocally Pickerill shone during many musical moments, and she really is a joy to watch. Her Prince, aptly named Prince William of Wombourne is played by Pickerill’s CBeebies colleague Gyasi Sheppy. Clearly both professionals in children’s television its clear to see that the children love them, and as a partnership their chemistry was extremely sweet and convincing.
Now, for me, the villain role is always the best from a performing point of view, as there are no limits with Pantomime and Niki Colwell Evans was the most wonderful ‘Dragonella’. Having seen Niki in the recent tour of Blood Brothers I knew she had the voice to command the stage, however I was completely blown away by the power in her lungs. It was wonderful for her to have so many songs to delight us with, including ‘The Sparkling Diamond’ from Moulin Rouge and ‘I Put A Spell on You’ from Hocus Pocus.
For the musical theatre fan in me, I was totally spoilt with the choice of songs. There was an opening chord from Les Miserables to wet the appetite during the overture, then songs from the likes of Moulin Rouge, Matilda and Mack & Mabel all reworded to fit into the storytelling. Playing the music for these moments is the most wonderful band under the Musical Direction of Adrian Jackson who is also Chief Executive and Artistic Director at the Wolverhampton Grand. I have to say that it shows the commitment and love Adrian has for the theatre that he was front and centre conducting a band who were all dressed in costume and provided a magnificent sound for the entirety of the show.
Our Magical Being, more commonly known as Elementa is played by Kelle Bryan who you may know as one quarter of the 90’s girl-band Eternal, or more recently a regular panellist on Loose Women. With a confident flair in the role and some great vocals during ‘All She Wants For Christmas Is You’ and ‘Could It Be Magic’, Bryan is a great member of the cast spreading lots of festive cheer.
The ensemble cast all really do deserve a name check, so here we go: Elliott Baker-Costello, Charlie Donnelly, Lucy Nolan, Elise Prosser, Daniel Walford, Jack Skelton, Leonie Wall and Eliza Waters (Swing). As the show starts, we are greeted with a snowy scene and some of the ensemble cast “ice-skating” under Direction from Robin Cousins MBE. Now, this was just one string to their bows, as not only do they sing, dance and act, they also act as puppeteers for the ‘Peaky Miners’, an updated version of the Seven Dwarfs. These puppets, made so wonderfully by Joe Peek, were such a fantastic addition to the show and under the direction of Jess Parker-Hewitt they added another element and layer to the story with great effect. Their rendition of 'Revolting Children' from Matilda was inspired!
With a song about Nando’s to the tune of ABBA’s Fernando, many moments of hilarity and some fantastic musical theatre numbers, this Pantomime is an absolute must see over the festive season. I came out with the biggest smile on my face and the need to see the show all over again! Bravo to all involved in this in-house production that Wolverhampton Grand have created this year. A first-class show with a first-class cast.
This show was reviewed on the 6th December 2023. Snow White runs at the Wolverhampton Grand until the 7th January 2024. Tickets available here: SNOW WHITE | Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
Review written by Emma Rowley
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Photo credit: Alex Styles & Tim Thursfield
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