Ian Waller and his family enjoy a top notch, full of fun family treat with the best panto in town!
Unlike Granny’s over cooked sprouts, some Christmas traditions only get better each year! And that is certainly the case with the panto at the Theatre Royal Bath
Once again written by and starring local hero Jon Monie, alongside Dame suprame Nick Wilton, here is panto perfection, a fantastic, funny, fabulous, family-friendly fiesta of daftness and Christmasness all wrapped with every panto cliche you could want, and plenty more besides.
This year Sir Jon and Dame Nick are joined by a genuinely top-notch cast including Olivia Birchenough, star of Milkshake (no, me neither…) and West End performer, who is just the best Snow White we have ever seen. Olivia brings a sassy, strong character to the role, along with a great stage presence and loads of fun.
And better still, George Olney as the handsome, charming and decidedly clumsy Prince Fredrick is the perfect foil for Ms White, with the two just brilliant together and clearly enjoying their roles.
But of course, front and centre are Monie and Wilton, the thinking family’s Chuckle Brothers, a double act that just matures over the years and gets better each time out. Yes the jokes are corny and yes, you have seen some of the routines before, but them this is panto and it’s just what we want.
But of course, Snow White just wouldn’t work without the seven dwarfs and this lot are the best ever. Led by Prof (Kieran DuMont), this particular magnificent seven are fantastic, brimming over with fun and with a half pint full of short people jokes. It’s also great to see Cheeky (Harrison Taylor) and Whiffy (George Appleby) get the chance to shine in a couple of the set pieces, which are always the highlight of a Monie production.
And then – boo, hiss – there’s the terrible, the dastardly, the just not that nice villain, Queen Grimelda, played by the wonderful Emma Norman. What a treat… determined as she might be to steal away Prince Frederick and his diamond mine for herself, the evil monarch still has time to enjoy the boos and hisses from the audience with an evil laugh and a callous cackle.
Add in any number of ‘It’s behind yous’ and ‘oh yes you does’, along with a wonderful ensemble and the always impressive children from the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is just the perfect way to enjoy the spirit of Christmas! We loved it!
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at the Theatre Royal Bath until 12 January. For more information and to book tickets, go to https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/
