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Small but perfectly formed
Snow White and the Magic Mirror Lichfield Garrick ***** LICHFIELD Garrick has built up a
well-deserved reputation for punching well above its weight when it
comes to Christmas shows and this year is no exception. While bigger, brasher shows go in for big stars
and bigger and better special effects with everything from 3D to flying
horses, the Garrick’s secret is to keep it cheerful, fast and simple,
and remarkably slick, with a show equally as suitable for toddlers as
for grannies and all built on traditional panto values. We reviewed on a matinee school’s performance and I am sure my hearing will recover before Christmas – infants booing or screaming could be used as a weapon against terrorism – and took along my grandson, who, at not yet three, was certainly the youngest there and he loved every minute, as did his granny who is three and a bit . . . well a few bits really. The show is colourful, fast paced and, above all
entertaining for both adults and children with Midlands Today’s Joanne
Malin magnificently malevolent as the evil Queen Evelyne of
Transylvania. The news presenter had a life as a dancer in musical
theatre before the lure of television and it shows in every dance
number with a particularly nifty display of tap, that lost art
coming back into fashion. There is even a big tap number with the entire cast which is nice to see, particularly as most of the cast are a new generation of actors only recently out of drama school. Meanwhile, back at the plot, we learn the glam
but wicked queen has done in the king and intends to deny her
stepdaughter, Princess Snow White, her rightful place on the throne when
she reaches 18 by the simple expedient of having her killed before her
birthday. You can’t argue with the logic. So, moving on to the intended victim, Katie Marie
Carter, on her professional debut, is a pretty princess
with a fine solo voice which blends well in duets with her dashing
Prince Harold of Tamworth played with equally fine voice by Daryl
Amstrong. Adding humour to proceedings we had Greg
Bernstein as Chester the Jester, a likeable and extremely athletic lad
who seems to have cornered the market in excruciatingly bad Christmas
cracker jokes.
But for really bad jokes, look no further than
Ian Adams as Fraulein Von Strudel. Adams, who seems to be running a rest
home for banter that has fallen on hard times, has been writing and
directing Christmas shows at the Garrick for seven years and he adapted
this from the original, Brothers Grimm tale rather than the more sugar
coated version from the Walt Disney Studios – all mixed with dollops of
traditional British panto. Adams has been playing dames since the last
century and some of his jokes and quips were probably around the century
before that – some were probably translated from the original Latin -
but old, silly jokes in Christmas pantos are as traditional as turkey
and sprouts at Christmas lunch. Audience groaning among the laughs and
shouts is all part of participation. He is full of enthusiasm and the kids loved him,
yodelling as asked on cue whenever he appeared – the hearing is
definitely starting to return, honest. For the good guys we have Leone Heath as Villia
and goody two shoes, or two wands probably, Witch of the Woods while
grassing everyone up, because she cannot tell a lie, we have Chelsea
Flain as the Magic Mirror, all aided by Lizzie Alderson as Masha and
Josh Andrews and David Brewis as guards (and much else) with the five of
them taking every other part and forming a lively chorus along with the
Snow White children. The cast also operate the seven puppets of the
seven dwarfs whose names seem remarkably similar to Trumpton firemen,
which is another feature to delight young children. The panto is helped by clever sets from John
Brooking allowing effortless scene changes to give us forests and
mountains, the dwarfs’ cottage, the Queen’s poisoner’s pantry and a
glittering palace and also by an excellent eight piece band under
musical director Adrian Jackson, who also happens to be the Garrick’s
Chief Executive and Artistic Director. Jackson, a respected international arranger and
conductor, has for many years collaborated with Alain Boublil and
Claude-Michel Schönberg, original creators of Les Misérables and the
One Day More finale to the first half is as good a panto act
closer as I have seen. It involved the entire cast with Harry and Snow
White on balconies on opposite sides of the stage and was quite
magnificent. And it all ends with a sequence of sing-along
monster favourites from Ghostbusters to Time Warp to
make sure everyone goes home happy with a smile and a song. The Garrick is keeping up the tradition of family
pantomime for all ages, and most particularly for younger children and
once again has produced a a real Christmas Cracker. To 05-01-14. Roger Clarke And look out behind you . . . **** IF you want to know just how good a
pantomime is, try joining an audience of schoolchildren and their
teachers at a matinee performance. I did just that when the Garrick was packed to
the rafters with the little....angels, and oh boy, did they participate. Every opportunity to respond to those 'Oh no you
won'ts', was grasped with gusto, and when that classic panto Dame Ian
Adams invited the youngsters to yodel back at him each time he appeared,
it was bedlam. Having the excellent orchestra perched just
behind some of the scenery at the rear of the stage works really well,
and musical director Adrian Jackson
was
even afforded a few speaking lines when there was a pause with his
baton. One of the stars is popular BBC Midlands Today
presenter Joanne Malin, such a nice girl to be handed to role of the
evil Queen Evelyne who wants to do away with Snow White and keep the
crown for herself.
She looks great, but maybe she doesn't come over
quite nasty enough at times, though the kids love to boo her. And
Joanne, an actor/dancer before moving itno journalism, treats the
audience to a sparkling tap-dance at the end of the show. Young Katie Marie Carter, making her professional
debut as Snow White, is excellent and enjoys some fine duets with
handsome Daryl Armstrong who reveals a fine singing voice as Prince
Harry. Some of Chester the Jester's one-liners may have
been over the heads of the young audience, but Greg Bernstein is a
bundle of fun in the role. No dwarfs in the title, but there are dwarfs in
the panto - seven muppet-like puppets who are all operated by members of
the cast. To 05-01-14 (oh yes it is) Paul Marston
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