“Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”

By Peter McDonald, for Ickle Pickle Productions, at Belconnen Theatre until October 13.

Reviewed by Helen Musa

“SNOW White” is one of Ickle Pickle’s best shows in a while.

Director Justin Watson loves to play with arithmetic (last year there were 25 thieves in Ali Baba) and measurements, (his dwarves are quite tall), but here he’s hit the right measure of entertainment by and for young people.

Scriptwriter  Peter McDonald has also hit the spot by having the dwarves whinge about the effects of the carbon tax on their mining,  though his insistence on lengthening the play  with a beauty contest (“who is the fairest of us all? Answer predictable: Snow White) is excessive. He even gets Zed Seleseja’s name into the wicked Queen’s spell-chant.

Centre stage is held by the Queen’s servants Knick (Jeffery Young) and Knack, (Anneke van der Velde) who demonstrate the knack of good timing. Ben Hardy as the Prince’s servant is contrastingly snobby.

With original music by Adam Bluhm performed live, this is a lively mini pantomime.

“The Snow Queen”

By Music for Everyone, at Theatre 3 until October 13, Bookings to 6257 1950. 

Reviewed by Helen Musa

“THE Snow Queen” is very different in intent, more developmental than overtly theatrical.

With some  beautiful singing as the young cast tackles songs set to Edvard Grieg’s music and with  flowing  choreographic movements devised by Vanessa Nimmo and Kate Hosking, a mixed cast – some shy, some more forward, tell the story. Director Dianna Nixon adds  a sophisticated touch by writing a monologue by Hans Christian Andersen (Josh Wilkinson and Jim Graham) that  introduces the play’s imaginary world.

High points were the performance of King Palmer’s biting lyrics set to Anitra’s dance from  “Peer Gynt,” elegant horseplay by  two small crows (Aidan Dore and Nikki Rossendell)  and a world-weary reindeer played by Bethany Stoney.

The lynchpin of this “Snow Queen” was little Gerda (alternated by Celine Dore and Steph Maclaine), who travels  in search of her brother Kai to the Snow Queen’s icy kingdom.