The latest panto at the Churchill Theatre is a regal powerhouse of a production. ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ immediately grabs the attention, and generates plenty of LOL’s, booing, and applause.
The show, which runs until 5th January, is visually stunning with colourful sets, striking costumes, and, literally above all, many splendid headdresses. However, the real punch in the production lies in the cast. The line up includes a truly magnificent villainess in Queen Dragonella (Britt Lenting). Her arch revelry in her glorious evil-doing, with comic nuance, outstanding singing, and sheer stage presence meant that she was a magnet for our eyes and ears at all times. On a night where all of us of the Bromley Buzz team were present – Darren, Zeenat, and Sarah – Darren bucked the audience mood by cheering the Queen on throughout.
Along with Queen Dragonella, probably the most stage time went to the jester, Muddles (Simon Fielding), responsible for many of the aforementioned LOL’s, and a human font of jokes that landed happily throughout. He threw in a scattering of references to Bromley (a magical land with a Queen, for the night), and enough slapstick humour to keep even the most cynical of 6-year olds delighted. Simon built an easy rapport with the audience, including the youngest children. Though, as with most pantos, there is a danger when sitting in the front row….
We interviewed Britt and Simon in Episode 196 of the Bromley Buzz podcast. That is well worth a listen – especially to hear their stage voices.
This version of Snow White had a doctor in the house, with TV’s Dr Ranj as The Man In The Mirror (a human personification of the mirror more normally firmly stuck to a wall giving the Queen a beauty rating). The (very) good doctor glittered and joked his way through the night, and was part of a post-break sequence that will stick with us for a long time to come.
There was, of course, a saccharine-sweet romance at the heart of the story, between Snow White (Laura Emmitt) and Prince Gareth (Gareth Gates). Naturally, it was the interference with true love by the jealous bad apple Queen Dragonella that formed much of the plot.
However, it would be easy to overlook two groups of actors who really helped to make the show (and provide yet more outlets for the talented costumiers). The ‘Magnificent Seven’ dwarfs were exactly that, and a thank you for those performances goes to Fergus Rattigan, Karen Anderson, Isaak Dalglish, Greg Doherty, Andrew Martin, Oskar Pereira, and Bernadette Windsor.
Similarly, some productions might regard added dancers as a luxury, but who doesn’t love a bit of luxury? We did. The dancers ‘ensemble’ – yes, again beautifully dressed and head-dressed (check out the bats!) – helped the show so much visually, and they too should be named and thanked. Lucy-Mae Bly, Rubi-Mae Bown, Leisha Harrison, Leeoni Kwayie, Will Markendale, and Robert Slatter, were part of a visual feast.
Tickets here. Oh, yes they are! And a final thanks to panto sponsors, Complete London Maintenance, who we chatted with after the show.
Roll on, then, to next years panto. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ will run from 6th December 2025 to 4th January 2026.
Darren Weale, Zeenat Noorani, and Sarah Marsh-Collings
12 December 2024
Bromley Buzz 