In our probably final but no promises entry in the impromptu series on Snow White musicals, we have Snow White: An Enchanting Musical.
First performed in 2004 at Disneyland’s Fantasyland Theatre, this was one of Disney’s periodic attempts to have a Broadway-style show in their theme parks. And there’s a lot here that’s genuinely impressive. The Magic Mirror, voiced by Patrick Stewart, is an extremely cool piece of stagecraft and serves as the narrator of the show. The set and costumes are gorgeous. This new adaption also fixes some of the things that were lacking in the Radio City Music Hall Snow White two and a half decades earlier. Snow White’s animal friends are now realized as dancers instead of full body animal costumes, and the Dwarfs only wear prosthetic noses instead of horrifying full-face masks.
However, the show was met with mixed reviews, so much so that after its 2004 run it was shelved for an entire year before being brought back for a second engagement in 2006. Was it because the songs were transposed down to (presumably) make them easier to sing? Because Snow White and The Prince now have (gasp!) something resembling actual personalities and even crack the occasional joke? Whatever the reason, if you feel like trawling two decade old internet posts you can find a lot of people inordinately angry about this show. Shame, because of the three adaptions I’ve posted so far this is my personal favorite.
Have fun posting!