Snow White 🍎

#PRInvite #Gifted | Cheerfully, together we can see in Christmas with a whistle after work, and a bite of Inverurie Panto's 'Snow White' - running at Inverurie Town Hall.

Star rating: ★★★★★

If you were Waiting on a Wish this Christmas, you’re in luck! Inverurie Panto are back with this year’s ‘Snow White’, running at Inverurie Town Hall. With dates extending right up until Christmas Eve, and with limited availability left, Inverurie Panto is continually the one to watch in Aberdeen and shire over the festive season. If you’re looking for something fun, captivating and wanting to support local - heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to Inverurie Panto you go!

Inverurie Panto has become an institution, and a firm favourite amongst crowds, since its conception in 1980. Owned and produced locally by Keith Donaldson, each year promises new ideas and creative ways of staging all of the beloved titles. Following the resounding successes of ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Robin Hood’ in previous years, ‘Snow White’ follows suit - and is the favourite one I’ve seen.

The truth is, not even some unfortunate issues with sound on the evening could dispel the enchantment of Inverurie Panto. The magic goes far beyond a specially-crafted production with its charity partners and their large strides to make panto more accessible for all. I have always been so impressed with their work in tandem with charity WeToo!, making their productions even more friendly to audiences with autism. Wednesday’s BSL interpreted performance highlights their commitment to making the Town Hall inclusive, and it's the attention to detail here that you really won’t find anywhere else.

Riding on the wave of the recent ‘Snow White’ live-action film, this is the perfect year to bring this particular title back. Though, thankfully, it doesn’t share the same critical reception as the film - with audiences being duly impressed. We meet Snow White, who sneaks into her Stepmother’s ball, just as she has turned eighteen. Whilst her Stepmother has an intricate plan to woo Prince Todd (named after Pittodrie, ye ken), it is Snow White he falls immediately in love with, much to her Stepmother’s dismay. Desperate to remain the fairest of all and become the rightful Queen by marrying the Prince, Snow White’s Stepmother hatches a cunning plan, executed through a poisoned apple.

Yet, this is a refreshing take on ‘Snow White’, with the infamous poisoning occurring at the end of the first half - meaning Snow White gets more involvement in defeating the Wicked Stepmother than she does in either of the films. The team have been innovative with the dwarves, too, meaning that audiences are treated to something much sweeter than an apple. This is what makes Inverurie Panto stand out from the others on offer in Aberdeen: it is created by local people, for local people. Underpinned by Donaldson at the helm, and Pike as Executive Producer, the script has been conjured up by Garry Watson, Victoria Cowan and Craig Pike, and of course, it is a real treat. 

The casting team have made a winner, with Boogie and Arlene from Northsound 1 making an appearance through the magic mirrors. This was a clever way to subtly boast about Inverurie Panto’s far-from-amateur capabilities, giving that extra little bit of value to an affordable pantomime ticket.

Emmah Chibesakunda returns to Inverurie as Snow White and is the perfect panto princess. She’s a weil-kent face across the Aberdeen theatre scene, with a voice like butter, and consistently delivers regardless of the role she’s in.

Hollie Cunningham is Prince Todd, and is another strength of the show. A great dancer, Cunningham always appears effortless on stage - and is deserving of a little extra panto love this year.

The lady in red: new recruit Jennifer Lypka is the Evil Queen. Despite playing a baddie for the first time this year, she takes to it so easily! Lypka has one of the best performances of the night; I won’t reveal any of the songs, but it is a deliciously dark number and is the perfect match for her. Lypka is joined by Michael Smith as Thainstone, and it was great to see him step up into the principal cast this year, having grown up in Inverurie Panto.

Gavin McKay is Dame Gusset and is an easy contender for the most impressive Dame in Aberdeen this year. Engaging with the crowds is no sweat for McKay, and he rocks all of the elaborate costumes you come to expect with this character. McKay is ‘stitched together’ with Hannah Cook as Thimbles, another newcomer to Inverurie Panto, but one who will no doubt have a long future ahead with the team.

Heading the wardrobe team are Anne Smith and assistant Carla Bennet, and every costume is made to measure. From the Dame’s outrageous ‘camping gear’ to the Evil Queen’s sequins and sparkles, Inverurie Panto amply delivers a high-quality performance in every regard. I especially loved the title character’s costume - a very discrete departure from your everyday Snow White regalia, but still recognisable.

The story isn’t complete without ‘six/seven’ dwarves - six of whom you’ll know, and newbie ‘Dave’ - who is the HR representative - completing the pack of seven. All dwarves are controlled hand-puppets, colourful and effervescent, and an absolute stroke of genius by the production team.

The puppetry is skillfully handled by Rachel Fraser, Amanda Haggart, Grace McKinlay, Jess McWilliam, Rebecca Morrice, Millie Morrice and Ella Silver. Listen out for a joke about miners, because it had me absolutely snorting in the balcony. The puppets have been bespoke made for the production by Kayleigh O’Grady, with the principals effectively trained by Sue Dacre. Together, the dwarves’ harmonies are incredible, musically directed by Paul Brill and Rhonda Scott.

Missing from some of the other pantomimes in Aberdeen are good ensemble numbers, but this is where Inverurie Panto thrives. With a good selection of songs cleverly embedded into their story of ‘Snow White’, the team create magical moments to remember both musically and visually.

It’s no surprise that after being attached with Inverurie Panto for nineteen years, Sarah Smith’s choreography is impeccable. Smith cements herself as one of the best choreographers in Aberdeen, and the lighting coordinated by Lewis Todd elevates her work tenfold, making each number completely captivating.

The cast are rounded out by a senior and junior ensemble which only proves how much talent exists in and around Inverurie.

They've whilstled while they've worked: underneath the incredible talent on stage, the talent of transforming Inverurie Town Hall each year must go recognised too. It is one of the only remaining town halls in Aberdeenshire with its capabilities, despite its relatively small size. On a small stage - suitably extended to encapsulate the band in the middle - with an even smaller backstage area, it really is a marvel how Inverurie Panto religiously pull off such a slick, professional, production seventeen miles away from the nearest theatre year on year. Susan Ball designs the set, which is immediately immersive. So much so, the ceiling is decked out with glitterballs - so the finale is destined to light up any room with the sheer number of them!

I’ve seen three pantos this season, and if you read between the lines, you can easily tell ‘Snow White’ has been my favourite. At face value, it is an excellent production; but knowing almost everyone involved wakes up the next morning and returns to their day jobs before heading back to pantoland makes Inverurie Panto that extra bit special. Moreso, teaming up with local charities, Cash for Kids, WeToo! And Friends of Roxburghe House Grampian, means that every ticket sale and doorstep donation is completely worthwhile. The team have already planted the seeds for their next installment, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, and I can’t wait to see the talent grow once again next year.