The test of any great pantomime is whether or not it has slapstick antics, groan-worthy jokes, an over-the-top Dame and a big dollop of audience involvement. Pantomimes are adored by children and adults alike because they never take themselves too seriously; if the cast is having fun, then the audience is having fun. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was buckets of fun!
My favourite part of any panto is the terrible jokes, so I was delighted when we were barely ten minutes in and the pun counter was already in the double digits. The frequency of jokes didn’t slow down either. Naturally the bulk of them came from the overly dressed royal entertainers, Lester the Jester and Kia the Clown; however, they had some tough competition from the evil queen’s henchmen, Forest and Woods. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that more than half of their lines were tree puns. The ideal ratio I’m sure you’d agree. Of course, we can’t talk about pantomime comedy without discussing the cornerstone of any show, the pantomime Dame. Dame Trudi Trench once again displayed the level of professionalism (and a healthy dose of unprofessionalism) we’ve all come to love and expect. Providing an endless stream of perfectly executed jokes, often at her own or the audience’s expense, is what makes her such an endearing staple of any production she’s in. And all wrapped up in a wide array of outrageous outfits.
As ever, it wouldn’t truly be a panto if half the costume budget wasn’t spent on the Dame, however, that doesn’t mean the rest of the characters’ costumes were left as an afterthought. There was Snow White’s classic movie look as well as the King and Prince in their royal finery, plus the appropriately colour-coded dwarves, but there were some other notable standouts too, such as evil Queen Regina in her dark, flowing dress and egotistically appropriate massive crown. I also enjoyed the Man in the Mirror’s Zoom-esque fabulous shirt and boxer shorts combo. Another person impossible to overlook was Fairy Glade in her dazzling gold dress. Being accompanied by pyrotechnics whenever she entered a scene also helped.
Whether it’s a pantomime or a serious production, the Barrow Arts Theatre Society (part of BUSCA) always manages to deliver a thoroughly enjoyable evening thanks to the tireless efforts of all the people both on and off the stage. I must have seen over a dozen shows of theirs over the years and every single time I’ve come away with a huge grin on my face.
I will always encourage anyone to go and see one of their performances, regardless of what it is, as it’s always more than worth the price of admission; not to mention incredibly important to support local theatre groups. And we’re lucky enough to have one of the best.
Elliot Wilkes