Snow White and Peter Pan are relative newcomers to the pantomime canon when compared to the likes of Aladdin, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. With Greenwich Theatre having ticked off Peter Pan under Andrew Pollard’s tenure in 2016, resident Villain turned scriptwriter Anthony Spargo pens the venue its first Snow White.
Currently the UK’s fourth most produced pantomime, Spargo’s script brings a new dynamism to the title, setting it in the frozen world of wicked Queen Narcissus’s ice palace. Much of the usual Snow White narrative is delivered in the show's first half, leaving the second to take a particularly Greenwich course full of invention and excitement.
First known as Ant and Dec, then Huey, Dooey and Louie, building up to Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub before a marketing rebrand coined them the seven D.W.A.R.V.E.S, in Greenwich’s production, the much loved, but often brief characters play a key role. Swapping diamond mines for salt, Spargo cleverly uses the chemical properties of sodium chloride to defeat the icy Queen Narcissus in a scene echoing the ending of another wicked great, that of the Wicked Witch of the West.
But the Deptford and Watford Auxiliary Royal Flying Squad aren’t alone in their quest; they are very much led by a fearless Snow White, who is woken swiftly in the second act by the Prince’s embrace, which dislodges the piece of poison apple in her throat, just as in the Brothers Grimm story. This enables Snow White to command a plan and rightly claim the crown she has been denied for so many years.
As Snow White, Katie Tonkinson is an excellent Principal Girl. With a strong voice and feisty personality, the dungaree-wearing Snow White drives the narrative in a show that provides her with a strong arc from oppressed to empowered.
A key moment in this self-realisation is her rendezvous with Prince Charming of Charmington played by Tom Bales. As his name suggests, Charming is the archetypical Principal Boy: dashing, bold, brave and heroic. At first, it seems as though the narrative might take a different course, particularly when Snow White brands him ‘arrogant’, revealing that she doesn’t believe in fairytales, and Muddles suggesting the Prince give up his title and move to America. However, as things progress, Snow White and Prince Charming fall in love and a happy ending prevails. It’s just a shame that a show with such a twenty-first century outlook seems to keep Charming confined to a pantomime character from the 1950s.
Always leading the way with innovative practice, 2023’s Comic comes in the form of Louise Cielecki’s lovable jester Muddles, dispensing joke after joke and making friends with young and old alike. Greenwich audience members respond with glee to her call of “Who wants a Muddle cuddle?”, but it does seem odd that such a hug, or even action of one, is never received. Indeed, there are many moments in the show when not everything seems quite complete or finished. A promising gag with a Sticker Licker Machine for the shipping of the Queen’s Do-It-Yourself Snowman business doesn’t really receive a payoff, and a beautification sequence for Queen Narcissus errs on the gruesome side as a series of gags rather than one that builds. Whilst the “We’re all square” gag about money lending receives a welcome revival, it too cuts through the performance frame with characters referring to performer’s name and the sequence feeling like a poor panto filler.
In the role of Queen Narcissus, writer Anthony Spargo excels as the megalomaniac ruler, part Jim Carrey, part Dick Dastardly in drag. Oscillating between Dame and Drag Villain, Spargo has the audience in the palm of his hand, summoning boos and laugher in equal measure.
Greenwich regular Martin Johnston ramps up the laughter track as Herman the Huntsman in an affectionate portrayal of the much put-upon palace servant, whilst DeeArna McLean’s Magic Mirror brings an air of glamour to proceedings and excels in her literal breakout number “Juice”.
Continuing what is slowly becoming a tradition, ‘Uncle’ Steve Markwick and almost all of his band appear on stage, with the famous Greenwich revolve making a much welcome return, transporting the audience from Ice Castle to Woodland Cottage and Forest Glade with ease. Emily Bestow’s design captures the fairytale and fantastical aesthetic of pantomime perfectly, with this year’s costumes both innovative and traditional.
Musical numbers ranging from Dolly Parton’s "9 to 5" to The Muppets’ "Life’s a Happy Song" make Snow White a real toe-tapper, with Henry Slater’s lighting design bringing real energy to proceedings, particularly via pulsating LED strip-lights framing the portals with colour and adding dynamism to each scene.
This is only Spargo’s second year at the helm of the script, and whilst it remains Villain-centric, it demonstrates great imagination and innovation. Less reliance on existing set business and age-old gags would really help the production embrace its innovative nature. Greenwich Theatre can be proud of its first Snow White and a new chapter in its pantomime history.