‘Snow White’ just too routine

An original pantomime version of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" -- you know, slapstick, cross dressing, song, acrobats, talking to the audience -- seemed the perfect fit for the British National Theatre of America. The people behind the playhouse are British, where pantomime originated. And the group's previous production -- "Durty Nelly's Lullaby," a two-person dance drama skillfully molded into a poignant love story -- proved the group knows how to work a stage.

This "Snow White" -- with no writers credited -- gives us an evil stepmother (Candace Du Plessis) who's a Vegas superstar, and a Snow White (Louisa Lawson) who's her long-suffering stage manager. The action takes place in a casino, where people like Madonna and Michael Jackson drop by. The characters have names such as Posh Nosh, Crazy, Itchy, Bloaty, Floozy. The purposely shapeless material allows the characters to break into song at the drop of a hat with pop standards such as "I Got You Babe" and "Thriller."

The problem is that the material is just too routine. The jokes are deliberate cornball, but there is such a thing as bad cornball. The 23-member cast -- some with ties to local Cirque du Soleil shows -- are capable, but they're straitjacketed by the limp attempts at humor. You can feel their talent wanting to break free.

Director Jo Cattel doesn't set the right tone for this celebration of nonsense. The evening feels too somber to allow for laughs.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.