PANTONI is a company with a wealth of pantomime experience, but sadly they don’t seem to be hitting the mark these days.

Last year’s Sleeping Beauty at the Gala was a depressing experience and this production of Snow White is along the same lines.

Pee Wee Price as Muddles the Jester bases his performance on shouting and pulling repulsive faces and I suppose as long as it appeals to the kids, then that’s a success.

Juliette Kaplan’s smoky speaking voice is perfect for the sinister Wicked Queen, who believes herself the fairest in the land. The slinky black outfit with sparkles suits her very well, much better than the beret and specs she wore in TV’s Last of the Summer Wine.

The handsome Prince is played by Espen Nowacki with a Scandinavian accent and a lot of brio; you need it when you’re doing Cliff Richard-type choreography wearing tights and a fur-trimmed miniskirt. As the evening progresses, multitalented Nowacki reveals a selfdeprecating sense of humour which is engaging.

The part of Snow White is taken by 17-year-old Jessica Parkinson with a lot of charm and a very strong singing voice, although she must resist being led astray by other cast members into thinking that pretending to forget your lines and laughing uncontrollably is the way professionals behave.

I enjoyed the Rita Proctor dancers, a high-kicking troupe who also manage an atmospheric routine to Carmina Burana, set in the Queen’s secret spell chamber.

But I liked the cheeky fairy (Emma-Louise Bennett) best.

■ Until Sunday, January 4.

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