SNOW White has been so successful this year that the Theatre Royal management, in a fit of Christmas cheer, is offering Gallery seats in January for just £5 each. It's not surprising that the show is being received so well; it's a big, bouncy, child-friendly panto with gorgeous costumes, foot-tapping music and no smut. Well, only a few fart-type jokes that kids love.

Lesley Joseph seems born to the part of wicked Queen Lucretia, revelling in the hisses and boos from the audience but not going over the top in her lust for local lad Matthew James Turnbull as Prince William of Whitley Bay. It's not easy to play it straight in panto when everyone else is larking about but Matthew makes a good fist of it, and he sings well too. Kathryn Rooney is a pretty and engaging Snow White, with a good strong singing voice, not too sugary.

But it's Peter Piper as Muddles who walks off with the show. It makes such a change to have a decent actor in this sort of part, and Peter made us laugh, had the kids eating out of his hand, and even managed some genuine pathos. His solo of a tender little song, Take Care of My Heart, brought a lump to my throat even though he was sitting on the edge of the stage dressed as a frog.

The dwarfs were likeable and sang in tune, and the youngsters from Marron Theatre Arts sang and danced beautifully.

* Runs until January 15. Booking Office: 0870 905 5060.

Published: 10/12/2004