Snow White

Image Source: Mark McNulty

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 13 2016
Location: Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

There have been many memorable and completely different shows at the Empire this year, such as Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, Annie, The Bodyguard, Chicago, Blood Brothers, Cats and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. However, there is only one way that you could end a year at any theatre, especially the Empire, and that is with the annual, star-studded Christmas pantomime.

The show this year is Snow White, and Jorgie Porter leads a cast of stand-out names by playing Snow White. Leanne Campbell plays Queen Morgiana in her fourth consecutive panto appearance at the Empire, Liam Mellor reprises his role of Muddles, Colin Connor acts as Herman The Henchman, Stephen Fletcher is Prince Brian Of Birkenhead, and Pete Price makes a cameo as the face and voice of the Magic Mirror. Oh, and as the title of the show would have you expect, there are appearances by the Seven Dwarves.

The story goes that Queen Morgiana is fearful of Snow White growing up and becoming prettier than her. Her worst fears come true upon Snow White's 18th birthday, at which point Prince Brian turns up and falls in love with the princess. Cue methods of nastiness by Morgiana, some via her fearful yet reluctant henchman Herman, and when it seems like there is no solution to Snow White's woes, her friends - both old and new, and both large and small - provide as much assistance as they can as she strives to maintain her love for the Prince. But with the wicked Morgiana aiming to remove her from the picture so that she can receive an ego-boost for her looks and enhance her own financial security via the Prince's riches, can Snow White succeed?

The costumes for the main characters are excellent; it's odd to see Snow White with blonde hair, but it actually adds something different to this particular version of the show, and in actual fact some may find the blonde-haired Snow White look to be better. The sets are also very good; it's clear that a lot of work has gone into making the settings look as faithful to the story as possible, especially for the home of the Seven Dwarves, which comes complete with miniature chairs and tables. And there are several songs for the audience to join in with, both from the original show and in the form of modern hits or festive tunes, particularly a localised and humorous version of Twelve Days Of Christmas.

As for the performances: all of the cast do a good job, but I was particularly impressed with Colin Connor as Herman The Henchman. His role is a secondary one, but the mix of an Irish accent and a down-to-earth explanation of certain events on stage made for an amusing combination, which along with some strong material, good ad-libbing and suitably-OTT delivery and mannerisms made him a treat to watch, and to me he ended up being the performer who I most remembered when all was said and done. That being said, everyone brings their A-game to the show, and once can easily immerse themselves in the experience due to the believable performances by all. And the jokes, whilst occasionally hit-and-miss, resonated with both children and adults, meaning that the whole family could laugh along with the show.

What helped to make this show seem special was the addition of minor touches: attendees were given treats as they entered, and on sale (from a custom-built store, no less) were a variety of colourful toys for the kids to enjoy and for them to use to join in with some dance numbers. There were also Christmas hits being played beforehand and during intermission, and Xmas adverts were shown on the big screen during the commercial break, all of which added to that warm, fuzzy feeling of festive fun and Christmassy nostalgia.

For those looking for some festive fun and a chance to pass the Christmas panto tradition down to a new generation of youngsters, Snow White at the Empire is a very good option.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

Jorgie Porter: "Snow White Is Going To Be A Great Show"

Image Source: IMDB

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Chances are that you'll know Jorgie Porter for different reasons, whether it be as Theresa McQueen on Hollyoaks, the second-placed contestant on Dancing On Ice or the lovable Scouser from last year's series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! But you'll soon have to address her as "Snow White". Yes, Jorgie is taking up the classic role of Snow White in this year's Christmas pantomime at the Liverpool Empire, where she will encounter more trials and tribulations than even Hollyoaks could throw up. (Okay, maybe not.) We recently spoke with Jorgie to discuss her role in Snow White, as well as her varied and exciting career across a plethora of fields to date ...

First of all, can you tell us about how you earned the part of Snow White?

It was one of those exciting things where somebody calls you up and says "Do you want to do this?" and you go "Erm, yeah!" (Laughs) So, I was lucky to be asked, really.

Were you a fan of panto growing up?

I've always been a fan of panto. I've never really wanted to sit and watch a serious play, because I think it's a bit too much. But pantos are so exciting, and when you can see the kids laughing and the adults are laughing at something else that goes over the heads of the kids - it's great!

You've had two separate stints on Hollyoaks, playing the role of Theresa McQueen. What would you consider to be your most memorable moments from your time on the soap?

I had brilliant things happen to Theresa. She's died and come back to life, she's given birth twice, she's shot and killed somebody - to be honest with you, that was probably my best moment when I killed Calvin. That was a brilliant storyline.

In 2012, you were named FHM's Hottest Female Soap Star. I have to say it was well-deserved ...

Thank you! (Laughs)

How did it feel to win that award?

I don't believe it. I always think that I'm not really that sexy; I see myself more as a goofy weirdo, so to be seen in that way was the biggest compliment ever to me.

So it's almost like you don't see yourself that way, but everybody else does?

Yeah, it's weird. When I do a photo shoot and I see it, I'm like "Oh, that's not me", almost like I'm playing a character. Everybody will say "Oh, that's you", and I'll be like "Erm, no it isn't!" (Laughs)

Tell us about your experience as a contestant on Dancing On Ice that same year.

That was amazing, and I probably didn't realise at the time just how great it was, My skating partner Matt Evers was brilliant (at one point, I accidentally cut him in the face by chopping him between the eyes), and I came second too. So, one day I will sit back and think "Wow, I've done all these things", and I'll probably just faint!

You've had other experience on reality television, with the obvious example being when you were a contestant on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! last year. What were some of the challenges about being in the jungle?

For me, at first it was really fast-paced, it was crazy good and they were like "Yeah, go and do this! Touch these lobsters!" You know, stuff like that. To be honest with you, I've not gone back and watched it yet, so I don't know what happened, but I think when you throw yourself into things where you don't really realise what's going on, you just find a way to do it, basically. But when it got to about the third week, I was like "Right, can I go home now?" The producers were like "No, you want to win!" But I was like "No, I want to go and live in Versace, eat burgers and just lie down and sunbathe!" (Laughs) So, I did get to a point where I thought about what I was doing there because it was really hard. But when it came to the Super Soaker slide challenge, that absolutely turned everything around for me, and it made me think "Do you know what? Everything comes to an end and you're going to be fine, and you can live for anything. So, it did teach me a massive life lesson about not to worry when things end. When you are struggling with things, they will come to an end so don't worry.

You've released calendars over the last few years. In regards to the photo shoots for the calendars, was this something that you ever felt nervous about doing, or was it something that you were able to just throw yourself into?

You have to throw yourself into it. It's another one of those things where I think "Oh, this isn't me!" You kind of blank out what's going on around you and you just do it and not to get nervous about it before it happens. Don't think; that's my main way of dealing with it! (Laughs) You just have to act natural, and everybody wears underwear, so it just feels normal when posing for the photo shoots.

You recently joined the cast of Are You Being Served?

Yeah, I think initially people were a bit nervous about how it was going to come across (with it being an update on a classic series), but I think it was produced brilliantly, and the viewing figures were around 5.4-5.5 million I think, so it went really well, Which makes me happy, and the cast were amazing too , not to mention that they were nervous too because they had to portray characters who had already been established originally by other people, so they all pulled it off really well.

Tell us about your plans over in Los Angeles.

In LA, I go out to do classes rather than being in England and doing classes here. I think over here, people are going to judge me more, whereas if I do it in a place where nobody knows me, then I can just do whatever and be whatever I need to, and to be myself really.

The final question is, what can people expect when they come to see Snow White this winter at the Liverpool Empire?

I think this is going to be a great show. I think we're already bouncing off each other, it's really funny and I can't wait to get the script as I can't wait to get stuck in! My family have already booked tickets, and they've told me that they'll all be sitting on the front row, which I find really hard to understand as there won't be 50-odd front rows! (Laughs)

So, the first thing you'll see on stage will be your family and friends, which I'm sure will settle your nerves!

Yeah! (Laughs)

Snow White will be delivering festive fun at the Liverpool Empire from Saturday December 10 to Saturday December 31. To book your tickets, click here.