Wonderful, Witty, Warm. The Lythgoe Family Panto does it again with a spectacular live theatre display accompanied with a stuffed Santa’s toy bag of jokes, music, comedy, nostalgia, and storytelling. This re-telling of the classic Snow White tale keeps you tuned in and guessing the next scene even if you already know the classic tale.

The Evil Queen, played by Michelle Williams formerly of Destiny’s Child, is on a mission to get rid of Snow White, played by Olivia Sanabia, for good. Snow White recognizes the struggle and sadness that the townspeople are going through and all she really wants to do is spread Christmas cheer as the rightful ruler of the Queendom. With Garrett Clayton, Michael Campion and Jared Gertner as “Herman”, “Prince Harry”, and “The Court Jester”; these gentlemen are in essence the main storytellers because much of set-up of the backstory has them involved in the scenes. Of course we can’t forget Neil Patrick Harris as the “Mirror On The Wall” who ‘drops’ by with his infinite wisdom when summoned. With an endless arsenal of entertaining jokes and witty lines that appeal to both children and adults; it made it easy to stay glued to the stage and follow the storyline. We won’t tell you how it ends and what twists and turns ensue; but you will definitely be in for a ride, especially if you’re local to Pasadena and are familiar with the geography.

A highlight that really brought smiles to people’s faces was when the Seven Dwarves entered. We wondered before seeing them, how would they show the Seven Dwarves and who would play them. Turns out, they are larger than life versions of themselves equipped with massive heads which brought a laugh to the audience (see photos). Other highlights of the night are when Herman did his rendition of an Elton John classic and Snow White and Prince Harry doing their duet together. And of course, who could forget when the Evil Queen sang “I Put A Spell On You”; it was perhaps the most gripping musical performance of the show and it had us thinking: “she was born to sing this song”. Those musical roots of her definitely came into play. We wished there was a repeat button somewhere.

This was a great event for folks of all ages, and in actuality probably enjoyed by adults more than the children. We know many adults in the audience were comparing this storyline with the one they knew growing up; and a few in the audience likely recognized some of the remixed songs that were sung. We thought it was pretty awesome when the Evil Queen sang her rendition of “Bootylicious”. How many artists in history get to act and sing a remixed version of their own hit on stage? This is a must-see performance. Though the Lythgoe Family utilizes a traditional fairy tale technique; they have found a way to make it modern and super-cool. With constant non-invasive audience participation which blends in smoothly with the storyline; it was a show where you want to catch every moment and wait for intermission before running to the bathrooms.

Performances run until Sunday the 22nd, and the location is at The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E Green Street, Pasadena, California 91101.

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