Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it’s off to Panto we go!

Naomi MacKay watched Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, on until 3 January 2024.

Regular panto-goers to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre may be wondering whether it will be quite the same without La Voix as the Dame, after she held the spotlight in the role for the past six years, but they needn’t worry.

New for 2023 is Leon Craig, who proved Dame Dilly Donut would not be a disappointment, with some fabulous comic timing, great vocals and terrific chemistry with panto regular Andy Collins (BBC Three Counties Radio’s breakfast show stalwart).

Dame Dilly had also read the memo when it came to the traditional 12 Days of Christmas song – a highlight of any Aylesbury panto – with much toilet roll flinging – and of course, the liberal use of water pistols by both cast, theatre staff and the audience. For me, Christmas hasn’t begun until I’ve seen Andy Collins charging around the auditorium as members of the audience make him chase after a lasso of loo roll!

Taking the romantic male lead is James Bye (EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing), as the charming, cheesy and clumsy Prince Frederick. It’s a shame that we never really got to see him dancing – I’d have loved to see a demo of what he’d learned during his weeks on the dance show – but he proved cheekily charming enough for Snow White (Rhiannon Chesterman), as the couple battled against the evil plans of Queen Grimelda (Lyndsey Gardiner).

Traditionally, Snow White’s dwarves in panto have been played by dwarf actors, but they have been ousted recently in favour of other actors – a move that has proved controversial among those who lost out on their annual festive season gigs. Well they are back at Aylesbury – and a fab job they do too. Aficionados will know that productions are not allowed to use the names of the dwarves from the Disney movie – and I won’t spoil the fun, but the writers make some very funny digs at the entertainment giant’s protection of its intellectual property.

The whole production is pretty slick – especially this early in the show’s run. As Muddles (Andy Collins) pointed out to the audience, the cast have just 10 days to prepare and you often find that the show becomes more polished as time goes on. But everything, from the staging and costumes, to the obviously well drilled and totally charming children from local dance schools, had a truly professional air that really raised the panto stakes.

Even the jokes were genuinely funny – quite often in panto, the humour can be more of the groan out loud rather than laugh out loud variety, but this show had the audience in stitches over and over again.

If Aylesbury’s panto is not already part of your Christmas traditions, make this the year you start!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Wednesday 3 Jan 2024. Tickets are available at: www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury (bkg fee) or call 0844 871 7615 (Fees apply. Calls cost up to 7p per min plus your phone company’s access charge).