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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Forum 28

Last updated at 16:07, Thursday, 17 December 2009

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HUNDREDS of schoolchildren from across South Cumbria were treated to a spectacular performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The first showing of this year’s Forum 28 pantomime yesterday proved a massive success, with star performances from home-grown talent Yvonne Patterson, Vicki Serra and Daniel Serra.

The children were instantly captivated by the show from the first scene when Prince Regent, Nick Huntington, took to the stage, accompanied by fantastic dancers from Imperial School of Dance.

The introduction of the evil Queen Cruella prompted boos from the audience.

But the boos soon turned to applause when Snow White and the prince demonstrated their singing talents, and on-stage chemistry – performing a fantastic rendition of Take That’s Rule the World.

The Wicked Queen belted out Mercy by Duffy, something she was keen to stress would not be shown to her step-daughter, Snow White.

After being consumed with jealousy, the Queen sends her henchman to kill Snow White.

The show stayed as close as it could to the classic children’s story.

Just before the interval, the introduction of the Seven Dwarfs brought about a warm reaction from the audience, as they tootled along the front of the stage and introduced themselves.

Upon learning that Snow White is not dead and that The Henchman had not in fact killed her, the Queen decides upon a wicked plan to finish the job herself.

The audience fell silent in suspense as the Queen, disguised as an old peddler, tries to get Snow White to eat the poisoned apple.

The children then erupted, trying to warn Snow White not to eat the apple, but sadly it was too late as she took a fatal bite.

Thankfully the dwarfs, the Prince and all the other characters are on hand to save the day.

The Prince then revives Snow White with a magical kiss.

Muddles then gets everyone to join in with The Grand Old Duke of York before the happy couple, Snow White and the prince, are married and the whole cast take their bows after a great performance.

The real key to the show’s success lies in the jokes between the minor characters.

Many of the gags were too old for the primary school audience but they provided light relief for the older members of the audience.

The “present that’s a pheasant, how pleasant” gag offered a great blend of audience participation, humour and light relief.

Several more humorous interruptions kept the pace of the show running well and ensured that the audience was well entertained.

Yvonne Patterson was fantastic as the Wicked Queen, commanding the stage whenever present.

The brilliant David Wainwright, who played Muddles, and Mike Buckley as Sarah the Cook, had all the schoolchildren joining in with the show at every opportunity.

Star of the show Vicki Sarah, who played Snow White, demonstrated a fantastic singing ability and innocence that instantly endeared her to the audience.

Her brother Daniel Serra looked at home on his debut panto performance as The Henchman.
It was a fantastic afternoon’s entertainment for all the family.

IAN DUNSTAN

First published at 15:55, Thursday, 17 December 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk