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A classic story, with a hilarious twist, leave your kids at home for this one!

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This year North East Adult Panto is back with their production of Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens. The show is an extremely unique take on the classic story and had me crying with laughter the whole way through. It goes without saying that this is an over 18s event so be prepared for a performance that is truly rotten to the core! 

Throughout the whole performance, all of the actors appeared comfortable with one another on stage, bouncing off each other’s energy and the audience’s reactions. There were a few minor line slips, which is expected with a panto, and in my opinion made the show even funnier. The show was accompanied by some eye-catching backdrops on a screen at the back of the stage, setting the mood for each scene, bringing the whole piece together. 

The show opened with a rendition of Ex-Wives, from Six: The Musical, which introduced the seven queens. As each one appeared on stage, it was clear that the majority of the audience were familiar with the cast by their reaction but especially with Tiny, played by Tomara Thomas and Bitchy played by Michael Marouli who both competed in series 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. We were then introduced to Snow White, beautifully portrayed by Amelia Cavagan, Snow’s best friend Puddles and the hilariously naughty David Potts, winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2024, playing the role of Dirty David, the Huntsman. We then met Prince Albert, who performed his version of Dancing Through Life from Wicked, introducing his charming and witty character. Another special mention goes to Deborah Taylor-Smith (stepping in for the 2016 Queen of the Jungle, Scarlett Moffatt, as the Evil Queen) who closed act 1 with some incredible vocals, singing Rise Like A Phoenix. 

In Act 2, the majority of the songs were performed by the Queens, including Celebration, for Snow Whites 18th birthday. Aside from all of the singing, we met an Amazon Delivery Driver in hot pants and a hi-vis , who was clearly an audience favourite based on their reaction every time he was on stage. The show ended with a classic panto song; If I was not in pantomime which was performed by the seven Drag Queens and Dirty David, which was a perfect ending to this crazy performance. 

Overall, I think this is a really funny show. It stuck to the basic Snow White narrative fairly closely, whilst adding and changing scenes to keep the audience interested. If I had to have one criticism, it would be that I would have preferred a seated show, as the stalls were standing, but that may have just been the venue and not the production’s choice.