A Snow Whitened Christmas

A Lythgoe Family Prods., Miracle Pictures Entertainment and Raising a child presentation of the musical pantomime in 2 functions by Kris Lythgoe. Directed by Bonnie Lythgoe. Musical director, Michael Orland choreography, Spencer Liff sets, QDos costumes, Donna Maas lighting, Chris Wilcox seem, Phil Allen. Opened up November. 30, 2011. Examined 12 ,. 2. Runs through 12 ,. 18. Running time: 100 MIN.With: Neil Patrick Harris, Lindsay Pearce, Marina Sirtis, Erich Bergen, Jonathan Meza, David Figoli, Italo Elgueta, Dashi Mitchell, Katie Reese, Morgan Larsen.After presenting Hollywood to the idea of British pantomime this past year with "Cinderella Christmas," the Lythgoes go back to the El Portal Theater using their undertake another traditional fairytale in "A Snow Whitened Christmas" -- and it is much more amusing, rambunctious and-spirited than their previous offering, inviting constant audience participation from excited children (and grown ups) and getting new existence towards the well-known story because of the superb comic timing from the ensemble cast which is all about "The Glee Project's" Lindsay Pearce as Snow, Marina Sirtis ("Star Wars: Next Generation") because the sizzling wicked Full and Neil Patrick Harris, who constitutes a screen appearance as her very knowing Mirror. It is the Mirror that begins the experience, rapidly establishing the storyline inside a prologue with sly jokes and native references that other figures continue through the show. It is the first indication that this isn't a Disney-fied Snow Whitened. Indeed, the development owes more for an up-to-date vaudeville style within the first musical number the villagers dance within the town square like a very sassy Snow devices out Lady Gaga's "Born By Doing This" in true Broadway fashion. Every fairytale heroine requires a partner/secret admirer and Snow White's is court jester Muddles (Jonathan Meza, amusing), so-known as while he will get his words muddled up -- he longs to "liss the kips" of Snow -- a apparently endless supply of puns. When Prince Harry of Hancock Park (a superbly arch Erich Bergen) comes to the village searching which are more beautiful girl within the realm to marry (his brother Wills lately tied the knot), it's Muddles who purports to help him. The Full thinks she's a cert for Harry until her trusty Mirror informs her that they is no more the most amazing lady within the kingdom of Beverly Hillsides, it's her niece, Snow. Aghast, she orders her trusty huntsman Herman (Figoli) and Muddles to consider Snow in to the forest and kill her, returning her heart as proof. Everyone knows they do not do this -- so when Full finds out the deceptiveness, expected off with that tell-tale Mirror, she sets the darkly eerie spirits that haunt the forest after Snow inside a show-stealing version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Snow is saved through the Seven Dwarves taking her the place to find their Youthful Miners' Cottage Alliance, establishing an effusive perf from the Village Individuals "YMCA" that everybody within the theater participate in with. The dwarves get their own real-existence fairytale story. Two teams of youngsters were selected after a wide open casting call in the Culver City Westfields Retail Center attracted some 600 wannabes. Inside a jerk to Disney, the tyros put on costumes capped with rubber heads that appear to be such as the figures produced through the Mouse House and mime their parts for an audio track. In the castle, the Full (signal boos and hisses in the audience) sings a darkly portentous version from the "True Bloodstream" theme song, "Bad Things," as she cooks in the poison apple, transforms into a classic hag and takes the fruit to Snow. Yes, our heroine eats it and dies. Came from here, the storyline is different from the trad fairytale but, suffice to express, everything works out well using a amusing scene where Muddles, assisted through the dwarves, asks the Mirror's help but will get the spell wrong and calls up first "DwtsInch judge Bruno Tonioli after which Nigel Lythgoe, in the "Which Means You Think You Are Able To Dance" persona, before raising the Mirror (permitting Patrick Harris, finding themself encircled by "small people" instead of small blue people, to decrease inside a promo for his "The Smurfs" movie). Bergen, Figlioli and Meza elicit howls of laughter when they show up on stage within this high-wind turbine and also the jokes flow thick and fast, many focusing on two levels, "Shrek"-style, to attract kids as well as their parents. Pearce's voice blends superbly with Bergen's, who performed Bob Gaudio in "Jersey Boys," while Sirtis' remarkably deep tone was wonderfully menacing. When the snow falls on the pair within the finale because the cast sing "Celebration," everybody within the aud has got the holiday spirit going full blast. Contact Bobbie Whiteman at bobbie.whiteman@variety.com