| The Toronto Star
Snow White dwarfs past pantos
Dec. 9, 2005.
RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
THEATRE CRITIC
Snow White and the Group of Seven
By David Finley. Directed by Ted Dykstra. Until Jan. 8 at the Elgin
Theatre, 189 Yonge St. 416-872-5555.
It's not your parents' panto any more.
Snow White and the Group of Seven, which opened at the Elgin Theatre
last night, is — dare I say it? — the hippest of the
10 holiday shows Ross Petty has produced over the years. It's a
far cry from the borrowed British music hall humour and tackily
transplanted show tunes of the early days. In their place, Petty
has installed a hefty blast of pop music sensibility.
Yes, that's Alan Frew of the '80s group Glass Tiger, proving dryly
funny as Pops, the leader of a boy band called The Group of Seven.
And darned if there aren't Canadian Idol alumni everywhere you look:
Ryan Malcolm, Gary Beals, Billy Kilppert as members of the group
and Elena Juatco as Snow White.
Sean Cullen is blissfully off-the-wall as the emcee of the evening,
rolling his eyes like marbles and even cracking up the unflappable
Petty with his ad libs. ("Been mixing your medications again?"
was the line that brought Dame Ross down with the giggles.)
The foundation of it all is the story of Snow White, her wicked
stepmother and the Prince who finally saves her, but it's been dished
up by author David Finley in such a cockeyed manner that you find
yourself grinning throughout.
The cast are loads of fun. Hats off to all of The Group of Seven
for creating characters in a split second, singing their hearts
out and looking wonderfully silly when they play the Jackson Five.
Juatco is a real charmer with a sweet voice as Snow White and Jamie
McKnight gives us a kewl dude of a Prince.
Cullen is another major delight. If you want an indication of how
wack things get this year, wait for the scene in Act II, when he
sings "Kung Fu Fighting" accompanied by a chorus of Uma
Thurman wannabes in their best Kill Bill yellow jumpsuits. Sheer
surreal bliss.
The bodacious Petty is the evil Queen Celine Poutine and seems like
he's wearing all four of the Desperate Housewives' bras at once.
And when he sings "Toxic" while dressed like Britney Spears
on steroids ... well, it's certainly something you're not going
to forget in a hurry.
Snow White and the Group of Seven may have its flaws, but in the
end, it's a rockin', rollin' good time for the whole family.
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