Originally published by L.S. Media. December 21st 2011. 
L.S. Media Rating ****
Cast: Tine Malone, Jamie Rickers, Pete Price, Craig Philips, Mickey Finn, Leanne Campbell, Lizzie Warburton, Chris Crookhall, James Waud.
To have one hit Christmas show over the festive period is good fortune, to have two is nothing short of incredibly superb.
The team that make up the Royal Court Theatre have their work cut out for them though, it takes an awful amount of hard work to host a Pantomime during the day and then have everything ready on stage for one of the best comedies around a couple of hours later. However it’s well worth the blood, sweat and frock changes to see some of Liverpool’s famous faces on stage and entertaining children and adults alike. For every child that loves the jokes, the water sprays and booing the Wicked Queen, there is an adult that is jealous of their children, nephews and nieces and wishing they could change places for at least five minutes.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is a staple of Pantomime fare and it can be hard to come up with new and exciting ways to present it. The best way usually is to just make sure it appeals to the audience you are catering for and having actors and local celebrities in it that will just sparkle when the time comes. In this year’s presentation the Royal Court have done just that! To have the star of the television show Tina Malone as the Wicked Queen and local radio and affable legend Pete Price treading the boards, willing to make all the children laugh at them and with them was a sheer masterstroke.
Add into this the excellent Jamie Rickers as Hermen the Henchman, the beautiful Lizzie Warburton as the heroine Snow White and the comic talent of Mickey Finn on stage with them and you have a recipe to keep children entertained and enthralled for hours.
There is no better sight in the world than when one of the stars of the show talks to a couple of the children from the audience. It can go wrong, sometimes horribly so but when you have the right person such as Jamie Rickers talking to the children, you know there will be a lot of warmth and generosity of spirit from the audience towards the production.
A smashing afternoon! Full of fun and one that keeps giving to the child within us all.
Ian D.