Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Writer: Paul Hendy

Director: Emily Wood

If there’s anything you can pretty much count on with a Royal & Derngate pantomime, it’s that it will be safe to take your children to without worrying about inappropriate humour for young ears.

This year is no different, as the creative team of Paul Hendy and Emily Wood, also known as Evolution Productions, return with another offering, and this time it’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The script is written by Paul Hendy, and audience members who are familiar with his panto scripts will find the usual sophisticated jokes which are designed to please the adults more than the children – in fact, this year he has perhaps strayed a little too far in that direction with too much of the comedy going over the heads of the younger audience members. Hendy has also included his usual puns on character names and given us a script full of local and topical references. It’s a piece that, despite its sophistication, doesn’t take itself at all seriously and makes a point of poking fun at the panto routines that are included.

Leading the cast this year is Ore Oduba as Prince Charming alongside Wendi Peters as the Wicked Queen. Best known to many for winning Strictly Come Dancing, Oduba also has a career in musical theatre and is an experienced performer in the role of Prince Charming a role he throws himself into with enthusiasm, joining in the comedy and slapping his thighs along with the rest. Also throwing herself into the role with gusto is Wendi Peters as the Wicked Queen, with wicked cackles and evil schemes to prove that she remains the fairest in the land. Peters does a good job at carrying off the role but you do feel that, despite her hard work, she never quite manages to get the audience to hate her character as much as she would like.

Returning this year as the dame we have Bob Golding as Nellie the Nurse. Golding always provides a safe pair of hands and does not disappoint, carrying off the daft jokes with style and showing some good vocals when delivering his numbers. He’s very comfortable interacting with the audience too – beware if you’re a man and sitting by the aisle! Working alongside Golding to provide a comedy trio we have Joey Wilby as Muddles and Marc Pickering as Herman. Wilby gives us a likeable Muddles, a character that is bound to appeal to the younger audience members, with Pickering’s Herman being this year’s henchman with the “non-specific European accent”. They work very well together and are all comfortable going off script when the occasion calls for it: between them they play a large part in keeping the show driving forward. Not to be missed is a well-rehearsed and slickly-delivered comedy routine based on fruit and vegetables – and one of the highlights of the show is Pickering’s dream of playing Freddie Mercury.

Lauren Lane gives us a pleasant and smiling Snow White, demonstrating some huge vocals when she delivers her numbers and throwing herself into her character. There’s a special mention for Alan Carr who appears in the role of the Magic Mirror – and all credit to the cast who manage to time their dialogue nicely when interacting with the pre-recorded Carr. The principals are well supported by a hard-working ensemble of six, who deliver Simon Barnum’s often exuberant choreography with style.

This is an entertaining and colourful production, full of music with lavish sets and colourful costumes – Morgan Brind’s finale costumes are a real treat – and is bound to be another success for the Royal & Derngate. If it could somehow just manage to engage a little more with the younger audience, it would be even better.

Runs until 31 December 2023