Review: Snow White

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Snow White.
Following the recent successes of Cinderella and Dick Whittington, the traditional London Palladium panto returns to the legendary West End theatre with Snow White, starring Dawn French making her pantomime debut. I had seen the previous two Palladium pantomimes and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I was rather excited to see what this year's offering was.

For the third year in a row, camp comic Julian Clary steals the show, this time taking on the role of The Man in the Mirror. After first seeing Clary perform in Cinderella in 2016, he quickly became one of my favourite comedians. In comedy, what I find to be the most important trait for any comedian to have is the ability to have impeccable comic timing. Clary is a natural when it comes to timing, and it should come as no surprise when I say that he has the audience in stitches. His delivery and mannerisms are excellent, and the way in which he berates fellow cast members for forgetting or mispronouncing their lines, somewhat rather cruelly, is hysterically funny. Clary delivers a barrage of innuendo throughout the show, but the majority is done so in a subtle manner, and is therefore likely to go over the heads of younger audience members. In contrast to this, I felt that the smutty jokes delivered by Dawn French, in the role of Queen Dragonella, were a little less subtle. The innuendo's delivered by French appeared to lack the double meanings to such jokes that Clary has successfully mastered, therefore making certain lines appear to be somewhat inappropriate. Having said that, I have no doubt that French is in fact a highly talented comic, and I believe that in this instance it is most likely the writing at fault. Also returning this year, appearing for the third London Palladium pantomime in a row, is Paul Zerdin in the role of Muddles, who is brilliant. I would actually go as far to say that Zerdin, along with his ventriloquist doll 'Sam', is even funnier than he was last year. He has returned with completely new material, which was much appreciated. Zerdin has the ability to provide entertainment for the entirety of the family, and he is a much-valued part of the London Palladium pantomime. Fresh off of starring in Broadway's Hello, Dolly!, Charlie Stemp portrays Prince Harry of Hampstead. Stemp is a clear triple threat; he is a talented actor, a gifted singer and a good dancer. He is clearly very talented. In the titular role of Snow White is Danielle Hope, who demonstrates her outstanding singing abilities in her rendition of 'On My Own'. Despite being in the lead role, Hope does have considerably less stage time than her co-stars, which I felt was a shame as I would have liked to have heard more of her voice. The Magnificent Seven were all outstanding, and once again I really wished we had seen more of them. Finally, last but by no means least. Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace play the roles of the deceased King and Queen, treating the audience to two delightful dance numbers. Simone and Cacace are both very talented dancers and were a joy to watch.

I did feel that this year's story, which has been co-written by Alan McHugh and David McGillivray, was considerably weaker than the previous two years. Both Cinderella and Dick Whittington had stuck somewhat closer to their original story, whilst this adaptation of Snow White has strayed from its original material. As a result of this, Snow White and the Magnificent Seven don't have as much stage time as they should do.

The costumes for Julian Clary, designed by Hugh Durant, are magnificent. Clary appears on the stage wearing a different costume upon each entrance, and therefore it would seem he has close to a dozen different costumes. Each costume has a different theme behind it and is filled with a diverse range of colours. The costume design for Clary's Man in the Mirror is incredibly artistic; the amount of detail put in to them is astounding. It is clear a lot of time and effort has been put into the costumes, and it certainly pays off.

Now for my final verdict on Snow White. I give Snow White...

This was a difficult rating to give. Whilst I greatly admire the performances of Clary and Zerdin, as well as the stunning costume designs, this year's London Palladium pantomime did not quite live up to previous years. This was largely due to the story, which mostly strayed from the original material. Nevertheless, I am excited to see what next year's London Palladium panto has to offer!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer