Kids in London - Pantomime: Snow White at Richmond Theatre

There’s nothing quite like a pantomime to ignite the Christmas spirit so I took my 12 year old along to Richmond Theatre to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

A number of jolly Christmas tunes – from George Michael to Bing Crosby – played while we took our seats, the numerous kids waved their light sabres and the title screen sparkled with the glorious jewelled words “Once upon a time”. As soon as the orchestra started we were clapping along so everyone was clearly up for some energetic (and heckling) participation. The narrator introduced the story and warned us of the dangers of evil stepmothers (like they don’t have a tough enough time of it already).

The first scene was of a realistic magic mirror, powered by the wonders of modern multimedia. I couldn’t help feeling that the lovely Jane Asher was a little miscast as the Wicked Queen – she’s just too nice. Still, we loved her sense of humour when she commented that “I bake better than I sing” and there were plenty of cake jokes in her rhymes. Quickly the stage burst into a rousing “Boogie Wonderland” village scene with tall athletic dancers and their beaming LA smiles supported by a host of kids in bright red costumes who provided some excellent dancing. Snow White, played by Sapphire Elia of Britannia High fame, and therefore a favourite of all the tweenies in the audience, was suitably slim and pretty – and probably had the best singing voice of them all. I felt a little sad that the Prince – who was prescription handsome – while being allowed to sing a few numbers didn’t quite get the chance to develop his character – we were so hoping for some sword play!

Just before the end of the first scene we finally met the seven dwarfs – Prof, Grumbly, Cheeky (my daughter’s favourite), Blusher, Snoozy, Sniffley and Loopy - but we (and all the Disney fans around us) were relieved that the songs “Heigh Ho Heigh Ho it’s off to work we go” and “Whistle while you work” were kept intact. A little uncertainty over the wisdom of using real dwarves but we soon all got into the swing of things. There were some not-too-scary moments with zombies in the forest who did an admirable version of Thriller and a classic “look behind you” scene with a ghost. Although it did go on a bit that one. Oh no it didn’t! Oh yes it did!

Whilst in every way it was a traditional pantomime – fabulous sparkly costumes, fairytale sets, a sort of ugly sister in the form of Nurse Nora who wore outrageous costumes (we particularly liked her London Underground take on the boob tube) – there were lots of references to modern life to keep it contemporary (including Simon Cowell and the ubiquitous X Factor) and even a couple of local Richmond and Twickenham quips. The Queen’s Magician – who truly delighted everyone with magic tricks (especially those that produced flames and real live doves) – doubled as a gently camp dandy. And star of the show – Muddles (played brilliantly by Tim Vine who clearly deserves his fame as a record breaking joke teller) kept the pace fast and interest high with non stop gags that appealed to all ages. There were even pyrotechnics.

And of course towards the end there was the obligatory bit where some children were invited up from the audience to join in the singing and to talk Muddles, who clearly met his match when one lovely little girl announced that her father was a lawyer, quizzed him on the validity of the statements in his preceding song and asserted that he was “not very nice” to make jokes about lawyers. And imagine our delight when he scooted over to the other kids to find out that their dad was a lawyer too! That's entertainment! Then we finally got to the grand finale wedding and happily-ever-after bit – and all in orange.

Talking of orange I must mention the inspired parent-friendly sponsor – Robinsons. The couple sitting next to us were even more enthusiastic in their participation and cheering than everyone else (who were pretty lively anyway) and we discovered that their eight year old daughter was in the show. It seems that Robinsons, in true talent spotting style, had run a national campaign called “Search for a star” that invited ordinary kids from schools to auditions and selected suitable kids to appear in their local shows. I have to say that the kids tonight were as good as any stage or theatre school kids.

So parents, get your kids out to Richmond. Travel out early on the district line or on a 20 minute train ride from Waterloo and you can also enjoy some excellent shops and even a walk by the river. Plus the theatre is opposite a large green so your small folk can run off that surplus energy before you persuade them to sit through the two and a half hour performance.

Snow White runs until 10th January.