British pantomime takes familiar fairy tales and children’s stories – Cinderella, Aladdin, Dick Whittington and His Cat, Snow White – and injects a bit of music hall (British Vaudeville) sensibility, contemporary references and audience participation to create a raucous, noisy entertainment that’s fun for everyone in the family.
The production runs November 23, 2012 – January 5, 2013 at the historic Elgin Theatre.
2012 is shaping up to be a tumultuous year for Snow White, from the bad apple film Mirror Mirror to the scandalous affair swirling around her follow-up film Snow White and the Huntsman. Happily for fans of Robert Pattinson, Snow White will dial down her raging hormones and return to the safety of her first love, live theatre, and trod the boards this holiday season in Ross Petty Productions’ 17th annual holiday pantomime, SNOW WHITE The Deliciously Dopey Family Musical. The production runs November 23, 2012 – January 5, 2013 at the historic Elgin Theatre.
In this fractured rendering of SNOW WHITE, audiences can expect a plethora of pop culture favourites. The production stars Canadian Idol winner Melissa O’Neil, who made her panto debut as Belle in Petty’s 2010 production of Beauty and the Beast. O’Neil is delighted to return to the Elgin Theatre fresh off her gig in the Broadway production of Stratford’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Stratford leading man Graham Abbey, standing in for the Seven Dwarfs, takes a cue from his portrayal of the dashing hero on CBC-TV’s The Border, and easily steps into the iconic role of super spy 007. “Abbey . . . Graham Abbey,” won the Dora Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in Ross Petty Productions’ 2001 version of Snow White And The Magnificent Seven.
And while it wasn’t obvious to Hollywood execs which starlet could ultimately reign as Snow White’s evil stepmother, Ross Petty ultimately won out over Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron and will once again become “the fairest of them all” in this winter’s stage version of SNOW WHITE.
Second City alumnus Reid Janisse makes his panto debut as one of the Three Little Pigs and voice actor and impressionist Bryn McAuley (the voice of Caillou) steps in as Little Red Riding Hood. Billy Lake, currently in his 6th season at the Shaw Festival, tackles the role of Pinocchio, and Eddie Glen, everyone’s favourite red head, returns as Petty’s bumbling sidekick.
