Sunderland Empire – until 2 January 2021
Reviewed by Hayley Warters
4****
We all love a bit of pantomime. Oh yes we do! And what a wonderful way to celebrate than joining the Sunderland Empire with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The apple certainly wasn’t rotten! And the performance was full of power!
The tale begins with a story which keeps us on our toes when referring to the relationship of The Evil Queen played by Su Pollard and Snow White played by Clare Maynard who made us feel at home with her local accent. The prince, known as Jonathan Charlton, was most charming, playing the prince excellently with his outstanding vocals. It was nostalgic to see Su Pollard on stage with her charisma and comical timing. Her villain was outstanding. Her character was the one that made us smile and boo every time she entered the stage.
Tom Whalley entertained us all with his constant energy and his very clever sketches with Miss Rory. Miss Rory is a local drag queen who kept the fabulousness of drag throughout the pantomime which is different to your traditional dame. Finally the 7 dwarves played their role brilliantly, especially the skype scene due to the clever writing!
The set was amazing throughout, which amazes us how much you can store backstage! And packed with gag after gag thanks to Tom Whalley, including some of his own sketches.
Some jokes can be misheard if you don’t understand the language of Sunderland, however you do become used to the language and feel like you’re at home by the interval! Young Connor even said “This was the best pantomime I’ve ever been too!”. Even though his mum does a bit of pantomime too (Thanks for the support son, but I do love you)
We would like to thank the theatre for the lovely welcome and including our son in this trip as he really didnt want to miss out! The hospitality at this venue is outstanding! You will want to come and visit more in the new year!
This pantomime runs until the 2nd January with tickets still available! Make the most of your Christmas and keep up with the tradition. Support the Arts!