Snow White at Camberley Theatre
Disclosure: We were invited to see this show for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.
The pantomime at Camberley Theatre is something we always look forward to and a real highlight of our festive season. This year the Camberley Theatre panto is Snow White, put on in their newly refurbished theatre!
Snow White at Camberley Theatre
When I first heard that the panto this year was Snow White I was imagining a traditional fairytale full of dwarves and animal friends. But, there is not a dwarf in sight. Instead, Snow White is accompanied by her seven delightful friends who make up the ensemble and feature heavily in the show.
From the very first scenes we were hooked. It’s a fresh, new show written to appeal to a wide audience – and it ticks all the boxes. It manages to feature all the great panto staples alongside a Christmas fayre and a beauty contest! It’s loud, colourful and just so much fun!
Snow White, played by Emma Woodhams, is the perfect Snow White. Likeable, full of joy and with a great singing voice too, she took the lead in her stride. With James Hastings as Keith by her side, they make a great double act – although Keith really stole the show for us.
His voice is strong and faultless but our favourite thing was the laughs. Keith had us laughing out loud in every scene. From his veg stall story to falling down a well, his jokes and slapstick mannerisms all came so naturally to him. He is hilarious – and the children loved him!
The ensemble of friends really added to the fun and vibrancy of the show, all with their own distinct looks and personalities. I have never seen a group of people with so much energy – they sang and danced constantly and did a fantastic job throughout.
No panto would be complete without a villian and Thomas Andrew Smith was the perfect Queen Camilla Blackbushe. The Queen had so much stage presence and the audience loved to boo her from Thomas’ very first appearance on stage! He had so much attitude and his outfits complimented that beautifully. The Queen really is a villain that we all love to hate.
Suzi Budd does a fantastic job of portraying Henrietta, the Queen’s hapless henchman. Middle-man between the good and evil, Henrietta is a wonderful character. Just the right amount of daft, so funny and engaging, a character that children naturally love.
No panto would be complete without a Dame and this year we see Matt Ian Kelly play Dame Mystique Moira in a completely new way – as a Dame stuck inside a mirror! This was different, and done so well, fitting seamlessly into the Snow White story. It felt like the Dame character was toned down this year because of this – there is definitely a lot less innuendo and rude humour throughout.
As you’d expect with any pantomime, there is plenty of he’s behind yous and audience participation. We loved some of our familiar favourite scenes and jokes – from the 12 days of Christmas rendition to the ghost stealing the characters right from in front of us. Plus, there are plenty of new jokes too! It was a great mix of gags the children would understand along with more adult jokes that went over the children’s heads and lots of local humour too. It’s definitely not a risqué show this year and very much family friendly.
One thing we loved about Snow White was the songs and choreography. Camberley Theatre really know how to put on a show! There are so many fantastic pop songs that have been given a little tweak here and there to fit the story. From Man I Feel Like a Woman (Villain!) to Come Alive and Call Me Maybe, they are all songs that everyone knows, happily singing along to and with costumes and dance routines that go perfectly with them.
The children told me they loved the lights and special effects during the show. We all really liked how lights went on to mask the stage during set changes. This was so simple yet so effective! And I lost count of the number of flashes and explosion type effects that went off. Add some confetti raining from the ceiling and you have a really action packed show!
We came away from Snow White singing the songs and feeling just so happy and uplifted. The whole cast obviously loved being on stage and gave the show 100%. It’s lovely to see a show where everyone on stage is having a great time as you can really see that in their performances. The whole Camberley Theatre cast did a great job this year.
Although not about seven dwarves, Snow White is still a tale of love, friendship and the fight between good and evil. Like all fairytales, it’s dark in places but ultimately it has a happy ending. It’s a fast paced, fun and energetic show that all ages will love and a great way of getting into the festive spirit.
Snow White is on at Camberley Theatre until 31st December 2024. Find out more and book tickets over on the Camberley Theatre website. For reference, the theatre address is: Knoll Rd, Camberley GU15 3SY
