Snow White Cast Announcement

Fri 24 November 2023 – Sun 14 January 2024

Tickets from £12

 

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, is delighted to announce the cast for Snow White, running 24 Nov – 14 Jan, and honoured to cast Dame Judi Dench, Theatre Royal’s Life Patron and long-time supporter, in her first pantomime role as the voice of The Magic Mirror.

“It’s my idea of heaven, playing a part in pantomime and never having to leave home! I am thrilled to be making my pantomime debut in Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds’ Snow White, who knows… next year they might make me a Dame!” – Dame Judi Dench, The Voice of The Magic Mirror in Snow White

In May 2022, Dame Judi Dench sold out the Theatre Royal’s auditorium as she talked openly about her life with her daughter, Finty Williams. The Oscar winner is delighted to voice her part in Snow White in support of the theatre.

“Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is absolutely beautiful and, as their Life Patron, I am so delighted to support the theatre in this way.” – Dame Judi Dench

Beth Tuckey returns to Theatre Royal playing Lady Lucretia, the wannabe-Queen who does everything she can to fend off ageing; yoga, fad diets, skin care and attempting to murder her youngest relatives of course. Tuckey last performed at Theatre Royal in their 2021 pantomime Cinderella as failed starlet and pushy-mum, Grizelda Grizzle. Tuckey most recently played Mrs Birling/Edna in An Inspector Calls receiving 5-star reviews from whatsonstage.com.

Craig Painting will be playing the chaotic castle cleaner Dusty Crevice in his third consecutive year in pantomime at Theatre Royal, previously playing Sheriff of Nottingham in The Legend of Robin Hood (2022) and Miley Grizzle in Cinderella (2021). Most recently Craig played the title role in Robin Hood & The Major Oak at Derby Theatre, a fully BSL-integrated family musical with deaf & hearing actors.

Taking on the title role of Snow White is Lara Lewis, who most recently played the roles of Beryl, Hermione and Dolly in Brief Encounter (Adapted for Stage by Emma Rice). The young princess isn’t sure she’s got what it takes to be queen but instead prefers improving her skills as an expert mechanic! Destined to be queen, what will it take to show her she CAN be Buryland’s next leader?

Playing Sir Nicholas of Norwich, the nervous neighbouring noble, is Zachary Pang. Snow White will be Pang’s panto debut after graduating from Mountview, most recently performing in short film 11 Million Bits Per Second.

Happy-go-lucky servant and local scout leader Gladys the Groom will be played by Philippa Carson who played Carol in the hit TV series Marriage (BBC). One-quarter of sketch comedy group Just These Please, Carson is raring to go for this year’s pantomime.

Peter Baker will visit Theatre Royal later this month as part of the improvised comedy whodunnit, Murder She Didn’t Write (22 Sept). In Snow White, Baker plays Grumble; a sneering snooty butler who is determined to make everyone’s business HIS business.

Corky The Corgi, the mischievous palace pooch, brings life to the old palace corridors and is played by Lizzie Buckingham. Buckingham played Morgan Le Fay in Magical Merlin at the Fortune Theatre.

Snow White is a traditional family pantomime created in-house by Theatre Royal and directed by Artistic Director Owen Calvert-Lyons (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Children). Chris Hannon, playwright of Snow White and Theatre Royal’s pantomimes since 2017, was nominated for best script at the Pantomime Award for Theatre Royal’s 2022 pantomime The Legend of Robin Hood. Following on from last year’s success, Dawn Allsopp, nominated for Best Costume Design at the Pantomime Awards for The Legend of Robin Hood, will be designing the set and costumes and choreography will be devised by Jess Knight.

Upon the death of her father, Princess Snow White has inherited the throne of Buryland. However, her wicked step-mother, Lady Lucretia, declares that Snow White is too young to lead and insists on serving as Queen until her step-daughter turns 21. Snow White is not sure she’s cut out to be Queen, she’s much more interested in fixing-up her prized Norton motorbike than ruling a kingdom. But Lucretia has been consulting her magic mirror, a strange and ancient family heirloom which can only speak the truth. The mirror warns Lucretia that Snow White is a threat to her plans to rule. So, on the morning of Snow’s 21st birthday, with the help of her accomplice Grumble, Lucretia attempts to kill the young princess. Unable to go through with her orders, Grumble sends Snow White into Bradfield Woods where she meets a troupe of disaffected and delinquent scouts who have their own vendetta against Lucretia and are hell-bent on reaping revenge. Can Snow White convince the scouts to give up their life of petty crime and help her in her hour of need? With the help of the fabulous Palace cleaner, Dusty Crevice, they form an unlikely team for an assault on the castle, to win back the crown and place the true heir on the throne.

 

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