EMMA Norman’s introduction to live theatre was pantomime in her home town, at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. The magic and colour of that show caught her imagination. “It made me want to do this,” said this year’s Wicked Queen in Bath Theatre Royal’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

“It is the catalyst for so many people to want to go into the theatre – and it is so important for families.”

And that’s not just the children and parents and grandparents who Emma will see as she glides across the stage in her magnificent costume – she is, after all, playing the “most beautiful woman in the world.” It will be her own extended family as well. Last year, when she made both her Bath Theatre Royal and professional stage pantomime debut, 22 of them came down from Blackpool, taking up a whole row to applaud her stunning performance as the evil fairy Carabosse. And they are planning to come again this year.

Returning to Bath and once again to the part of the female villain, she is excited: “The Wicked Queen is synonymous with a character who is beautiful but downright evil.” And she will certainly be the centre of attention when she is on stage: “They have really gone to town,” she says. “It’s magnificent. It is a real treat to have such a beautiful costume. And they are the best panto sets!”

Emma’s previous pantomime experience was in a company that took panto into schools. They were a small team who played all the parts and put up the sets, often doing performances in three schools in a day. “We took panto to schools where families couldn’t afford to go to the theatre.”

She has performed in theatres all over the country and says Bath is special: “It has the most beautiful view from the stage. You are so close to the audience – it is a really intense feeling. You can see everybody, all the children’s faces, see them laughing and smiling. That is so special.”

She is looking forward to working with Jon Monie, who is once again writing the script and playing the knockabout comic role: “It is a privilege to have the writer in the room,” she says. “He tweaks little things as you go.”

Jon Monie, who will be playing Muddles, is now well-established as one of this country’s most inventive and successful pantomime writers. He has enjoyed writing Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and is looking forward to working with Emma.

He is also pleased to be working with “Dame” Nick Wilton in what is now Bath’s well-established comic partnership. Jon famously played the knockabout comic to Chris Harris’s always brilliant Dame, and he always pays tribute to everything he learned from Chris.

“I adored Chris,” he says. “He was my mentor. Chris’s shoes were difficult to fill but Nick is cut from the same cloth. He is a similar type of dame – motherly, maternal and kind. In fact, Nick says that seeing Chris was made him want to be a dame!”

Pantomime may seem to be timeless but it does change, and this new Snow White does reflect some changed attitudes. “I have tried to make it a bit more modern,” says Jon. “Snow White is quite feisty, not just waiting for her prince. And the Wicked Queen has a back-story.”

Pantomime has never been politically correct and Jon has plenty of jokes to keep the laughter coming. “You aim to include and celebrate everyone so there are jokes to do with height, but everyone has to be comfortable with it. It’s a conversation with everyone.” And he promises there are some new routines – and some old favourites back after a few years’ absence.

Bath’s Snow White is a seasoned panto heroine. Children’s television favourite Olivia Birchenough is looking forward to making her Bath debut in the role. She has played Snow White before, and says it offers more opportunities for the character to be caring (particularly for the dwarves). This will be her 12th pantomime and she has seen a lot of changes over the years – she is glad that this Snow White will be a stronger young woman: “We don’t want a wet princess in 2024,” she says.

From the start of her career, Olivia, a long-time presenter of Channel 5’s Milkshake! morning programme, was interested in entertaining children. She got the job on Milkshake even before she graduated from drama school, and has gone on to appear in Milkshake Live as well as presenting the family science show, Ministry of Science, and its live stage version.

Away from children’s television, Olivia does a lot of voice-over work, including for Disney and Virgin Media, but she loves performing to live audiences and is looking forward to playing Snow White in the beautiful and historic Theatre Royal.

The other principal in this year’s pantomime is George Olney, playing the Prince. His stage credits range from UK tours in Chicago, Top Hat, Saturday Night Fever and Grease, to Mamma Mia! and Fiddler on The Roof in the West End. Most recently he appeared as Crispin in A Chorus of Disapproval at Salisbury Playhouse.

Pictures show Olivia Birchenough as Snow White, Jon Monie as Muddles, Emma Norman as the Wicked Queen, George Only as the Prince, and two of the Seven Dwarves, Harrison Taylor and Brian Wheeler.

Photographs by Freia Turland.