Tyne Theatre and Opera House Newcastle – until 5th January 2025
Reviewed by Sandra Little
4****
Snow White is currently being staged at this gem of a theatre in the heart of Newcastle. This grade 1 listed Victorian building which opened in 1867, is the perfect setting for a traditional family pantomime. As would be expected, all of the essential ingredients are included to the joy and delight of the audience.
The panto begins with a high energy, up beat song and dance routine and the pace never wanes for over 2 ½ hours. One of the stars of the show has to be Muddles the court jester, played by panto stalwart Charlie Richmond. Charlie has entertained families for the past 16 years at Tyne Theatre. Alongside Muddles, in the role of pantomime dame, we meet Dame Dotty, played by Lewis Denny. This is Lewis’ tenth pantomime at Tyne Theatre. While Muddles does a great job with the audience participation and Geordie jokes, Dame Dotty wears the outrageous costumes and both deliver a generous sprinkling of innuendo and double entendre.
Alongside the comedy double act from Muddles and Dame Dotty, we meet the fair and lovely Snow White, played by Grace Anne Davison, a singer and actress from South Shields. Meanwhile Snow White’s wicked step mother, Queen Rubiana (Penelope McDonald) has a great sense of presence and has the audience booing and despising her the second she appears on stage!
Of course no Snow White pantomime would be complete without a handsome prince, and the person taking on the role of Prince Gazza of Gosforth is Regan Gascoigne ( son of famous NE footballer Paul Gascoigne). Regan rose to fame as winner of ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2022. He looked every bit the handsome prince with his dashing costume, big smile and flair for dance, but his singing voice didn’t always hit the spot for me.
The dwarfs ( played by experienced actors with dwarfism) are also an essential element of this story and they play a crucial role in the telling of this traditional tale. Their on stage presence brings a welcome and friendly dimension to this performance.
One stand out addition to this pantomime that deserves a special mention comes from the two henchmen Twist and Pulse, played by Ashley Glazebrook and Glen Murphy. This duo rose to fame when they were awarded second place on ITV’s “Britains Got Talent.” Needless to say their dancing is amazing and certainly is a display of real talent! It definitely adds a unique dimension to Tyne Theatre’s pantomime. However, it must also be said that the more traditional dancing from the ensemble is great and the children in the ensemble are superb, performing with great enthusiasm, energy and professionalism.
As the action draws to a close we reach the grand finale and the wedding of Snow White and Prince Gazza. Costumes are of course glitzy and glamorous with lots of gold lame on display and, despite being on stage for over 2 hours, the cast maintain their high energy levels and palpable enthusiasm for this fitting ending to a very enjoyable Geordie themed evening.