Review: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Alhambra

A CGI rhyming prologue kicks off the show on a revolving screen that doubles up as the evil Queen’s magic mirror. This year, Billy Pearce plays Muddles, Snow White’s (Sarah Goggin) bestie and a new addition to the original story, making his stage entrance in characteristic comedic fashion, riding on a moped and talking at breakneck speed. His comedic chum Oddjob, purportedly the Queen’s “right hand man”, makes him “chuckle” and, of course, is none other than Paul Chuckle, completing a formidable double-act of high-energy panto poor taste gags, including lines like “Does virgin wool come from ugly sheep?”

No expense has been spared for the sets, costumes and props this year with seamless lavish set changes, moving from an intricate cottage backdrop to a spangly palace that looks like a blue version of Moscow’s Red Square. There are an impressive number of costume changes with cast donning especially designed matching equally blinged-up clothes just for the final number. In place of the normal 3D sequence, this year there’s an imposing rather random animatronic dinosaur segment and lit-up flying moped with Pearce arcing across the stalls. Director Ed Curtis’ dwarves are very PC and humorously presented by seven actors shuffling around on their knees with dangling tiny leg attachments, then later portrayed riding woodland creatures.

With Paul Chuckle and Steps’ Faye Tozer as Pearce’s big name celebrity cast, there’s of course a lot of in-jokes and name dropping, including the ChuckleVision theme tune sneaking in, a “To Me, To You” segment and Queen Lucretia (Tozer) “[having to] take steps to punish [her unruly servants].” Accompanied by a live orchestra, Tozer also capably performs a closing singalong medley of Steps’ hits.

Alongside spectacular design, this year’s panto certainly boasts Qdos Entertainment’s most risqué humour yet with cast visibly creasing up mid performance and a particularly entertaining but borderline interview with child volunteers. There’s the annual and ever-funny skit with Pearce lip-syncing to songs in response to all of Snow White’s questions; a remote-controlled dog Muddles perpetually seeks, projectile urinating on the audience; there’s a cheeky quiz testing whether Oddjob and Muddles are still under the Queen’s evil spell; a dance off including “little fish, big fish, cardboard box”; there’s homoerotic magic involving a cucumber and glory hole and an amusing slapstick audience participation acting out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Exceeding expectations, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has all the family howling with laughter, providing us with plenty of festive cheer. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs until Sunday, January 26, 2020.

by Leo Owen