MIRROR Mirror on the wall, who has the funniest, barmiest, wittiest panto of them all?

Why, Bath of course! This year, it is fair to say the merry band at the Theatre Royal have cobbled together one cracking re-imagining of Snow White, packed with zingers, cringe and more gags than you can shake a 10-foot slapstick at (indulge us a little, we’re still flying high on panto fever).

When the magic mirror declares Snow White to be ‘the fairest of them all’, the odious wicked queen flies into a jealous rage and orchestrates a master plan to dispose of her step-daughter. In this case she casts a spell on poor servant Muddles (buffoon extraordinaire Jon Monie) to do in the fair maiden.

Thankfully he recovers his senses in the nick of time, giving the princess time to escape through a dark, scary forest to the safety of the home of the seven dwarfs. Sadly, the Queen, disguised as a curious old crone feeds her a poison apple, leaving her catatonic and in serious need of TLC from a passing prince.

Muddles and his mother, Dame Dolly (Nick Wilton) up the comedy ante this year with their corpsing, wisecracks and impressive feats of endurance (we were out of breath just looking at them running laps around the stage).

Prepare for heaps of laughs, a jolly old time and to dodge the odd airborne bra…

— MARION SAUVEBOIS

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at the Theatre Royal in Bath until January 7.