Seeing us into panto season, Who’s The Fairest of Them All is writer and director Holly Wagner’s adaptation of Snow White, in which the magic mirror is featured as the real villain. Exploring the lengths one goes to for the sake of vanity and validation, we see not only the classic story of Snow White versus her wicked stepmother, but also the relationship Snow White has with her own daughter and the ways in which the title of Fairest of Them All has shaped her character. Held in Augustine United Church, the scene is set in the black-box-style theatre using minimal set and tech design, allowing the writing and acting to take centre stage. The space, although small, was well-utilised, with the actors parading up the staircase through the audience and out secondary exits as well as using the typical stage wings. There are moments of off-stage dialogue in which the actors were placed in an adjacent corridor to the theatre. Using the echoey hallway acoustics to their advantage, it mimicked the environment of the Evil Queen’s grandiose palace, giving the illusion of expanse to further build the world away from the stage.
The cast of three were engaging, with Wagner playing the Evil Queen and Snow White’s daughter Eve. Her duality as both the eccentric and cruel queen, and then the sweet and naive Eve was impressive, with both characters feeling like completely separate individuals. Playing opposite Wagner as Snow White was Jenna Donoghue who also displayed the expanse of her range as she went from the young Snow White we all know well, to later portraying an older, more resentful and obsessive Snow White. Through Wagner’s writing and Donoghue’s portrayal, this development of character is what sets Wagner’s adaptation apart from the original tale – perhaps Snow White was never as sweet as seemed – after some coercion from the mirror, Snow White poisons the Evil Queen before the queen can get there first. Playing not only the manipulative mirror, but also the huntsman was Kyle Paton, acting as both the instigator and mediator with these roles. Paton’s performance was punchy, delivered with conviction and strength. His acting shone especially through the Magic Mirror’s voiceover, in which he conveyed the sly menace of the mirror.
The execution of these voiceovers as well as the other components of sound was designed by co-director Pedro Branco – in all the sound was clean and accompanied the piece well. The lighting design was minimal with mostly generic washes, and some added flair in the more fantastical moments like when the queen is concocting her potion. I feel perhaps the black box’s lighting system was not the most advanced so this hindered the design slightly, with the lights being undersaturated and were rigged in positions that meant there were quite harsh shadows cast on the actors at points. Nonetheless, this didn’t hinder the performance at all, with Who’s the Fairest of them All being a light-hearted and amusing start to Erstwhile Media’s “One Dramatic Night” at Augustines.
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 8th November 2025
North West End UK Rating: