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Snow White at Clevedon
It was opening night for the Clevedon Comedy Theatre Club. This year’s production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had us all queuing outside.
It was certainly evident that this club was going to perform to a full house.
The script, written by Stephen Duckham, contained everything you would expect from this well–known story. With some scenes nicely shortened this production moved along at a steady pace.
Sets were relatively simple and scenes were quietly and swiftly changed by the black gang team although more of an imaginative back drop or scenery would have enhanced each set and added visual appeal to this production.
The casting of any show often presents challenges. I wasn’t convinced you had this spot on and I may have made changes to a couple of principals but that’s just a personal opinion.
Andy Francis’s Handy Andy gave us a likeable character. You have a natural flair and everyone warmed to you the moment you came on stage. The ‘Handy Andy’ running gag worked well and you were always on cue. With a good singing voice you fitted the bill perfectly.
Tony Mohammed’s Dame Do-it-all was a satisfactory performance. I guess this may have been the first time you had taken on this role. Whilst very energetic you just needed to slow the pace down a little. The Dame’s role is always an arduous task to perform. You have a tendency to rush from side to side when addressing your audience which was slightly off putting. A Dame’s facial expression is worth a hundreds words. During Act one we were not treated to any of these as your wig completely blocked your features. I am sure with more experience you will become a natural in this role.
Debbie Starr’s Queen Malevolent attacked the audience right from the start, making sure they disliked you immediately. You had very good eye contact and maintained your rapport with us. Along with the apple this was a nice part to get your teeth into.
Chloe Hayden’s Snow White added nostalgia and innocence to her part. You worked well alongside the other characters. Although your diction was a little hurried in places you had real stage presence and held our attention at all times.
Well done also to our loveable Dwarfs. You all played your individual characters with great enthusiasm. You needed to remove or cover your sparkling ring though Growler!
There are no small parts in panto and it was clear that the chorus and forest animals had done everything the Directors had asked of you.
There were some memorable effects in this production. In particular I loved the Queen’s Laboratory and the production of the roses was very magical indeed. The entrances and exits of the mirror were very funny and queuing for the loo at Glastonbury was another comical moment also.
It was the talent of Musical Director Grahame Osborn and the band who made this pantomime come to life. There were some nice numbers in the show and not too many of them either. Whoever would have thought ‘Happy Birthday to you’ could be an opening number for a pantomime, but it was and it worked well.
Thank you for your hospitality. It was evident the audience enjoyed this production, even the lady from Canada!!!
Nigel Ford
Moderator SFD