A Snow White Christmas is a pantomime version of the fairytale Snow White , with a book by Kris Lythgoe and a score consisting of a pastiche of well-known pop tunes. It was first produced in 2011 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, California. The music includes songs by Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, The Village People, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Hall & Oates, among others. Like other pantomime-style musicals, the show includes magic, dancing, singing, acting, audience interactivity and sing-a-long segments. [1]
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The story follows the traditional Snow White fairytale with some additional characters. Muddles is the court jester to the Queen and is Snow White's best friend. As in other pantomimes, the 4th wall is broken by the actors, who encourage the audience to cheer for Snow White and boo the Wicked Queen. [2]
The show was first produced in 2011 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood starring Lindsay Pearce in the title role, Erich Bergen as Prince Harry, and Marina Sirtis as the Wicked Queen. The show featured Neil Patrick Harris as the onscreen Magic Mirror. It received generally positive reviews. [3] [4]
The show was revived in December 2012 by the Pasadena Playhouse and featured Ariana Grande as Snow White, Curt Hansen as Prince Harry and Charlene Tilton as the Wicked Queen. [5] The show once again featured Neil Patrick Harris as the onscreen Magic Mirror and received positive reviews. [6] [7]
In 2013 the show was produced at the Rose Wagner Theatre in Salt Lake City starring David Osmond and Amy Whitcomb. [8] The show featured Nigel Lythgoe as the onscreen Magic Mirror and received good reviews. [9]
In 2019, the show was being produced for a 10-year anniversary production by Lythgoe Family Panto. It features Michelle Williams, Neil Patrick Harris, Garrett Clayton and Jared GertnerIt was first played at the Duke Energy Center in North Carolina. [10] and then moved to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. [11]
| Role | Hollywood 2011 | Pasadena 2012 | Salt Lake City, 2013 | Pasadena 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Harry | Erich Bergen | Curt Hansen | David Osmond | Michael Campion |
| Snow White | Lindsay Pearce | Ariana Grande | Amy Whitcomb | Olivia Sanabia |
| Herman | David Figlioli | David Figlioli | David Figlioli | Garrett Clayton |
| Wicked Queen | Marina Sirtis | Charlene Tilton | Margo Watson | Michelle Williams |
| Muddles | Jonathan Meza | Jonathan Meza | Jonathan Meza | Jared Gertner |
| Magic Mirror | Neil Patrick Harris | Neil Patrick Harris | Nigel Lythgoe | Neil Patrick Harris |
The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen or just the Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent adaptations and continuations of the fairy tale, including novels and films. One particularly notable version is Disney's depiction, sometimes known as Queen Grimhilde. The character has also become an archetype that inspired unrelated works.
"Snow, Glass, Apples" is a 1994 short story written by Neil Gaiman. It was originally released as a benefit book for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and was reprinted in the anthology Love in Vein II, edited by Poppy Z. Brite.
The Royal Court Theatre is a theatre located at 1 Roe Street in Liverpool, England. The current Royal Court Theatre was opened on 17 October 1938, after fire destroyed its predecessor. It was rebuilt in Art Deco style and soon became Liverpool's premier theatre. The interior of the building has a nautical theme, in line with Liverpool's seafaring traditions. The design of the basement lounge was based on the Cunard liner Queen Mary until its conversion into the Studio space during renovations. There are three viewing levels within the main auditorium: the Stalls, the Grand Circle and the Balcony.
Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Pantomime is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and in other English-speaking countries, especially during the Christmas and New Year season. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. It generally combines gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale. Pantomime is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.
Becky Baeling Lythgoe is an American singer-recording artist, actress, producer and television host.
A Snow White Christmas is a Christmas animated television special produced by Filmation and telecast December 19, 1980, on CBS. The special is a sequel to the fairy tale "Snow White", unrelated to Filmation's other sequel to "Snow White" titled Happily Ever After (1989), which ignores everything from this film.
The Playhouse is a 664-seat theatre in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, South West England that hosts shows all year round including opera, ballet, comedy, music and pantomime performances.
Mick Walter, often referred to by the stage name Big Mick, is an English actor, musician and puppeteer. He is known for appearing in television comedies, first appearing as Jack Large in Blackadder. He has also appeared in Black Books, Green Wing, Toast of London and Psychoville.
Snow White is a 1987 American musical fantasy film based on the classic 1812 fairytale and released as part of the "Cannon Movie Tales" series. The film was released straight to video. In August 2005 it was released on Region 1 DVD by MGM.
Curt Hansen is an American actor and singer.
Jonathan Meza is an American voice actor who frequently works with dubbing studio Bang Zoom! Entertainment. He has starred in several anime: his greatest role is Saito Hiraga in The Familiar of Zero. Additionally, he is also known as the voice of Zafira from Nanoha A's, the sequel to the original Nanoha series. Meza is more prominently known for his appearances as the host on AnimeTV and Otaku Movie Anatomy.
Kristopher Michael Lythgoe is an English–American television and theatre writer/producer known for creating and producing reality television shows such as Who Are You? and So You Think You Can Dance. Lythgoe has also created several American pantomimes live stage productions based upon fairy-tales and folk tales with a modern twist.
Lindsay Heather Pearce is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theatre. She made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked in February 2020 and later made her national tour debut as Janis Sarkisian in Mean Girls in May 2022. Other regional theatre credits include Wendla in Spring Awakening, Ivy in Bare: A Pop Opera, and Whatsername in American Idiot.
Alan Hughes is an Irish television personality, pantomime actor and producer. He works for Virgin Media and appears on Ireland AM. He also hosted Family Fortunes from 2012 to 2014.
American pantomime, panto for short, refers to works of theatrical entertainment that have been presented in the United States of America since 1876. The works are derived from the entertainment genre of pantomime that developed in England, presented either as they are in Britain or adapted for the American stage and tailored to American audiences. Pantomime in America, as in England, is usually performed at Christmas time. The entertainments, aimed at families, are based on nursery stories and fairy tales, and they incorporate songs, slapstick comedy, often topical jokes, magic, some cross-dressing, local references, audience participation, and mild adult innuendo. Like the British productions, American pantomimes incorporate audience participation. Earlier productions often also included a harlequinade.
The Evil Queen, also known as the Wicked Queen, Queen Grimhilde, or just the Queen, is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Productions' first animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and remains a villain character in their extended Snow White franchise. She is based on the Evil Queen character from the 1812 German fairy tale "Snow White".
David Peter S. Witts is a British actor and model, best known for his portrayal of Joey Branning in the British television soap opera, EastEnders, in which he appeared from 2012 to 2013.
A Cinderella Christmas is a pantomime version of the fairytale Cinderella, with a book by Kris Lythgoe, using for its score a pastiche of well known pop tunes. It was first produced in 2010 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, California. The music includes songs by Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé, Katy Perry, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Clarkson among others. Like other pantomimes, the show includes magic, dancing, singing, acting, audience interactivity and sing-a-long segments.
Aladdin and his Winter Wish is an American panto version of the Middle Eastern folk tale Aladdin. The panto's book was written by Kris Lythgoe and its music is based around classic pop tunes by artists such as Ray Charles, Coldplay, and Starship. Aladdin and his Winter Wish premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse on December 11, 2013 and ran through December 29 of the same year.
