TuckShop’s Snow White arrives at the Emerald Theatre as a riotous, all-drag pantomime perfectly attuned to the end of the year. Written by Kate Butch, Crudi Dench and Eleanor Mason, and directed by Christopher D. Clegg, this loud, excessive and joyfully unruly production delivers exactly what audiences crave during the festive season: collective chaos, communal laughter, and permission to let go. In the Emerald Theatre’s intimate space, the show quickly establishes itself as a shared event rather than a polite holiday outing.
At its core, TuckShop’s Snow White follows a familiar fairytale framework, joyfully refracted through a drag lens. Classic pantomime tropes collide with drag’s heightened theatricality, from lip-sync numbers and pop songs with rewritten lyrics, to deliberately silly choreography and fearless audience interaction. The fourth wall barely exists, and participation is not optional but essential. This is panto as a live social event, driven less by narrative logic than by shared pleasure.
The all-star cast is a major part of the show’s appeal, and the production makes full use of drag’s ability to reimagine familiar archetypes through exaggeration, wit and sheer stage presence. Each performer commands the space with confidence, ensuring that audience interaction never feels awkward or forced, but instead flows naturally as part of the evening’s rhythm. Drag Race UK winner Kyran Thrax dominates as the Wicked Queen, delivering camp villainy with razor-sharp timing and a delicious sense of self-awareness. Kitty Scott-Claus brings warmth and sparkle as the Fairy, while Yshee Black’s Magic Mirror leans into knowingly absurd physical comedy. One of the evening’s most memorable running jokes comes from Kate Butch’s Huntsman, reintroduced as “HuntsThem”, a playful yet pointed gender-aware reinvention that lands some of the biggest laughs of the night. The ensemble works as a finely tuned collective, keeping the energy consistently high.
Visually, the production leans unapologetically into camp. Costumes are bold, exaggerated and instantly readable, while deliberately cheap cardboard props become part of the joke rather than a limitation. True to pantomime tradition, TuckShop’s Snow White also offers a gleeful review of the year just gone, skewering familiar cultural and political moments with sharp irreverence. Part of the pleasure lies in anticipation, as audiences wait to see what and who will be sent up next.
At a time when the world feels increasingly exhausting, Snow White offers a persuasive answer to why pantomime still matters. Rather than nostalgia, it provides collective release; a space to laugh together, shout together and briefly abandon restraint. Loud, messy and sharply attuned to its moment, Snow White earns its place through confidence, excess and joy.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
