Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: James Hill, Georgia Austin, Debi Jones, Ricky Tomlinson, Tom Burroughs, Michael Chapman, Olivia Horton, Lewis Pryor.

The world is a pantomime at times, someone will always play the villain, someone the dame and there will always be some commotion going on requiring the services of a Prince Charming or at the very least a jester; the world is a pantomime and each person plays the roles laid down to get the maximum laughs possible.

So when Easter comes round, when that bringer of Spring and the thought of months filled with light is no longer a distant dream, the only thing to do is make sure that the Christmas laughter is kept going and as institutions are something to keep going, a prize in the local calendar to admire for the work they do, the pantomime must go on.

The Epstein Theatre understand that with Easter comes holidays and finding stuff to do for the children, and the adults with a soul of merriment that needs careful nurturing, is a priority. So much so that to offer a pantomime for the public during the time is a tremendous achievement in terms of planning and execution. To bring Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs to the stage after a hugely successful Christmas panto is a masterstroke by all concerned.

A pantomime must always be seen for what it is, it is an experience for children to whom many might not otherwise get the exposure to the theatre they truly need to give them the grounding in later life, to appreciate the art form and understand the moral story at hand and for the chance for all concerned to have a gloriously funny time where in the end it boils down to seeing people smile, laugh and forgetting for a while that the world beyond the theatre door is one that must be kept at bay for as long as possible; the panto is the thing in which to capture the heart of the cynical and repressed.

Starring the ever fabulous Michael Chapman as the panto dame and the exciting Lewis Pryor as Muddles, a return trip for the young man after a sensational Christmas Pantomime season, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs is a production that isn’t afraid to go after the well established and the wild laughter, chiefly the inclusion of Liverpool legend Ricky Tomlinson as the magic mirror is such a dream that each line he delivers via the plasma television is one that is greeted with the sound of heartfelt and honest laughter; it is the appreciation of hard work that makes Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs such a wonderful start to Spring.

Hi Ho as much you like, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs at the Epstein Theatre is the place to go this Easter.

Ian D. Hall