It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… and not just at the festive village on Broad Street.
Just down from all those bright lights is the first panto out of the gate for the season at Aberdeen Arts Centre – and it’s just as sparkling and fun as the city’s centrepiece Yuletide attraction.
More so, in fact, because Snow White – from the combined talents of Phoenix Theatre and Phoenix Youth Theatre – is a rousing old-school traditional pantomime (yes, they do indeed slap those thighs) that is as warm and comforting as a hug on Christmas morning.
And the writers and directors, those stalwarts of Aberdeen’s theatre community, Liz Milne and Clare Haggart, pull off a bit of festive magic by putting a fresh spin on the timeless story of Snow White.
Snow White at Aberdeen Arts Centre is both traditional and fresh
This time our heroine is returning from boarding school where she was banished by her evil stepmother, now the Wicked Queen. So far, so familiar, but I don’t remember an Elvis-style baddie being part of the mix before. It’s a brilliant touch, by the way.
But back to that traditional bit. There is plenty of “oh no you don’ts”, more booing and hissing than you can shake a poisoned apple at and not just one, but two singing competitions to get everyone going.
What is surprisingly fresh though is the almost non-stop string of gags and one-liners that manage to be both original and actually very funny. Popped her clogs, indeed.
Most of the laughs are delivered by the delightful trio of Tiny (Adam Huckle in the not-so-daft-laddie role) and Aggie and Ruby (Jonnie Milne and Jill Ross on double dame duty).
Doric trio are a hoot in Phoenix Theatre’s Snow White panto
The three of them are a hoot, firing off zingers and insults in flawless Doric that had the audience grinning away like loons when they weren’t laughing out loud.
And the trio clearly have a ball during the knockabout slapstick pie-in-the-face routine under the guise of the Great Scottish Bake Off.
Jill, in particular, is a delight. Her comedic timing is flawless and she set a high bar for the others to match.
They aren’t alone, though, not by any manner of means. This is a busy stage, with ensemble scenes being a proper crowd, playing out with a clever LED screen backdrop that gives the production some quality values.
It means the big song and dance numbers – and there’s a fair few – are really big and delivered with absolute gusto by the Phoenix crew.
Pantos stand or fall with their baddie, and Jo Gallagher turns the evil camp knob up to 11 as the Wicked Queen, while Chris Cormack is a delicious mix of wicked and silly as her sidekick Dirty Den.
Heart-warming pleasure to seek kids’ genuine joy at Snow White
The litmus test for any panto isn’t what the grown-ups think, though, it’s how the kids in the audience react.
And Snow White won that one hands down. It is a genuinely heart-warming pleasure to watch little ones bouncing up and down screaming and shouting “under the table” or doing all the actions to the singalong.
When the cast asked for volunteers to join them on stage there was a sea of hands and boys and girls jumping up and down waving an outstretched hand in the universal language of “pick me, pick me.”
Joy is contagious, and this was certainly a joyous night that really did get everyone in the mood for Christmas.
Get along to Aberdeen Arts Centre to enjoy gift of Snow White
There is a major flaw, though. Snow White is only on until Saturday. This is a panto that could easily have been pulling in happy audiences up to Christmas Eve.
Think of this as an early Christmas present to Aberdeen and get along to enjoy it.
Snow White by Phoenix Theatre and Phoenix Youth Theatre is at Aberdeen Arts Centre until Saturday November 19. For information and tickets go to aberdeenartscentre.com
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