Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
King’s, Glasgow
Mary Brennan
FOUR STARS
Heigh ho! Heigh – hold on folk ... Before we can flex our hiss-boo-cheer responses, there’s a wee film telling us how such traditions are 300 years old (and cared for by this show’s producers). Well indeed, some of the material that subsequently creaks on-stage is somewhat whiskery with age – however help is on its way: there’s a talented cast in the wings, ready to give mouth-to-joke resuscitation and infuse fresh energy into a script that certainly joins up the narrative dots but is a tad old school. It’s not inclined towards the spectacular, the glitzy or the monstrously inflatable (this seemingly applies to on-stage egos as well – there’s a joshing, well-balanced team spirit about this show that makes it hugely family-friendly).
A sizeable part of this appeal, for younger audiences especially, is the link with Disney’s evergreen cartoon: it’s in the look of key characters – Snow White (a sweet-voiced Jenny Hayley-Douglas), her smitten Prince (Allan Jay) and the Wicked Queen – Juliet Cadzow simply sizzles with glam as she plots murder. Could Hector (Gregor Fisher) really harm Snow White when he’s helped so many comedy exchanges punch above their weight and get a laugh? He’s actually cleverly subtle with it – the old-fashioned look, the calculated pause, all a tremendous foil to the live-wire antics of Des Clarke’s lovable numpty, Muddles. Heigh ho! – enter the trump card, that blisses everyone out. Seven dwarfs who come close to stealing the show by doing so much more than a token homage to Disney – the Subo pastiche is a hoot. There’s even a singalong cloot about... The Cloot. A tradition we all rise to with enthusiasm – heigh ho and hurrah!
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