Kids love panto – all that cheering and singing. And adults (men especially) will love this one too. After all, what’s not to like about the amazing legs of Jerry Hall and her surprisingly good ability to play the Wicked Queen with skill, grace, humour and just the right amount of menace. And women will be inspired by just how good she looks just a few years shy of 60.
From the moment we stepped across the red carpet and into the theatre, it felt Christmassy. There was an enormous Christmas tree in the foyer, a sea of sparkles on the stage screen, favourite Christmas songs playing softly in the background and all those children waving their illuminated swords and wands. Lovely.
Brian Blessed did a voice over in a short film that described the history of uniquely British pantomime, highlighting some of the stars of yesteryear in full panto gear. And after a quick advert from sponsors Littlewoods (well at least it was a seasonal advert) we were off.
Jerry Hall was resplendent in a black and red creation that stole the show. After the first “Mirror, Mirror” she resorted to that soft Texan accent. And it didn’t seem out of place. And then the diddlies – depicting when Snow White was just seven years old – started dancing and singing to “Happy” and the characters morphed seamlessly into the 18 year old Snow White (Aimie Atkinson). Muddles (Chris Jarvis) joined the fun and the (generally pretty topical) jokes started – I love the way that there are always two levels to the humour at pantos – working equally well for kids and adults. There were several laugh out loud gags.
The music appealed to all ages – with songs from Pharrell Williams, Michael Jackson (the “Thriller” routine was excellent – Jerry Hall did the voiceover usually performed by Vincent Price and it worked well), Blondie, Madness and, of course, One Direction. Yet the very young people were reassured that there were also songs you will recognise from the Disney production – “Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho”, “Dig, Dig, Dig” and “Whistle while you work”.
The dwarves (Sniffley, Cheeky, Snoozy, Grumply, Prof, Blusher and Loopy) deserve a mention. Their extensive singing, dancing and impersonating skills were showcased in a TV style talent competition. And young Paddy Holden (playing Loopy) did a memorable impersonation of SuBo. Small people will adore the dancers dressed as rabbits, badgers, mice and foxes.
At the interval, it was good to see that an assortment of stars had turned up to support Jerry and the cast. We noticed Mick Jagger, Rob Brydon and Richard E Grant but I am sure there were others. And yes, they did join in with the clapping and singing.
For me, the annual pantomime marks the official start of Christmas. And the folks at Richmond Theatre did us proud and ensured that this year got off to a very good start. We left the theatre smiling.
Ticket information from http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/richmond-theatre/ The show runs until 11th January 2015.
