Review: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES, New Wimbledon Theatre
Photo credit: Ruthie Henshall
We won't bore you with the details of the storyline for this one Besties, merely an overview!
Snow White's evil stepmother tries to kill her on her 21st birthday, so that she can be the fairest in all the land. Her friends help her escape to the forest where she stays with seven dwarfs until it is safe for her to return to the palace. However, the Prince is poisoned by an Apple meant for Snow White and it takes true love’s kiss to save him.
Written by Alan McHugh and directed by Jonathan Mikey with an all-star cast, we had high expectations for this one but came away a little underwhelmed.
Having Ruthie Henshall, in her pantomime debut as Queen Lucretia, Brenda Edwards as The Spirit of Pantomime and Lee Mead as Prince Lee of Lambeth, the vocals are outstanding throughout and the dance moves faultless, but it all feels a bit too much musical theatre and not enough panto.
Matthew Kelly as Nurse Nelly Nightingale shows us how a Dame should be played, but needs much more stage time and the opportunity for interaction with the audience for us to be able to connect with the character.
The comic turn is brought in by Dick and Dom (AKA Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood), one of the few double acts left these days. Although, apart from getting the audience to shout out “bogies” whenever they enter stage (which was actually a lot of fun), it doesn't feel like they had been able to adapt their own material into the production.
John Archer as Oddjob gives us some old school magic and ukulele playing, which is entertaining and feels more traditional whilst still in keeping with the story.
The title role of Snow White is played by Hannah Lowther, Tik-Tok lockdown sensation turned musical theatre star, who has the most polished performance and integrates the song and dance routines easily into her portrayal.
We were a little disappointed by the casting of the magnificent seven, who are played by full sized performers who spend their entire time crawling around the stage.
At a time when we are having educated conversations about diverse casting in theatre across the board, this is not an informed decision on inclusivity and could so easily have been avoided. With so many dwarf actors out there, this choice does not bring the audience to its knees.
Choreography by Paul Robinson is performed well, but doesn't quite have the sharpness and commitment needed to really wow the audience.
Costumes by Mike Coltman and lighting by Richard G. Jones help to make the production attractive and pleasing on the eye, but it just misses the magical Christmas sparkle that is certainly needed.
Nevertheless, a good watchable production.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs plays at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 31 December, with tickets available here.