I hope my readers all had a fantastic Christmas. It’s been over two weeks since I updated my blog.  I found the lead up to Christmas a little overwhelming and I caught a nasty cold virus which knocked me off my feet for over a week. I’m feeling a lot better now. We had a lovely, cosy, family, Christmas it was just the five of us tucked up in our little house, wood burner and sparkly lights warming our bodies and souls.

Yesterday we were ready for an excursion which was perfect as we had tickets to see the relaxed performance of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs at Bristol Hippodrome. A Relaxed Performance is aimed at anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed environment including people who are on the autistic spectrum or who have sensory and communication disorders or a learning disability.

The relaxed performance;

The changes to the show during a relaxed performance are minor, small changes to lighting and sound cues. The main, and most important, difference is the more relaxed attitude in the auditorium. The lights aren’t dropped as low during the performance, and noise and moving around is acceptable. With two members of our family on the autistic spectrum this looked perfect for us.

About two weeks before the show we were emailed a visual story about visiting the theatre. Also notes about the show, the plot, characters as well as notes (scene by scene) about the sensory content.

At the theatre there was a chill out space, with sensory toys, and a screen to watch the show for those who couldn’t manage sitting in the theatre. The stand selling light up children’s toys wasn’t open, which meant a much reduced amount of them being waved about in the theatre.

It was a pleasure to see such a diverse audience, all happy and excited and having fun.

The show;

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs starred Warwick Davis as Prof, he has had an amazing career with roles in several Star Wars films, the title role in Willow, and all eight Harry Potter films.  Andy Day, as Muddles, most famous in our house for Andy’s Wild Adventures and Bristol resident. Local comedian Andy Ford, as Herman the Henchman, Andy has appeared in the last seven pantos at Bristol Hippodrome and it’s easy to see why. He was hilarious with accomplished physical comedy and great comic timing.

We also saw Kim Ismay as Queen Morgiana who belted out some classic songs brilliantly. Francesca Lara Gordon and Shaun Dalton perfectly cast as Snow White and Prince Clive of Clifton. Not forgetting local legend Shaun the Sheep as himself.

I really enjoyed this pantomime, my favourite of the last several years.The whole cast worked really well together. It was a polished traditional pantomime with lots of topical and local references thrown in for good effect. The songs were fun and entertaining, and the script kept us laughing throughout.

I really can’t review a pantomime the way I would a different show. It was cheesy, sparkly, showy, over acted and naff. Which applied to a pantomime means that it was entirely perfect in every way.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs is on at Bristol Hippodrome until the 3rd of January. There are still tickets available if you fancy booking yourself a last little festive treat.

*Disclaimer: we were provided with tickets to Snow White for the purposes of this review.