Mirror, Mirror on the wall, what is the most spectacular panto of them all?

It’s the Alhambra pantomime, of course, billed as the biggest in West Yorkshire and packed full of special effects, visual wizardry, bucketloads of laughs and enchanting fairytale scenes.

Alhambra stalwart Billy Pearce and the gang will be bringing festive cheer to audiences over a total of 77 shows, running right through to February, once Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opens to a packed house tonight.

A total of four trucks have been used to transport the full set to the Alhambra. Three of the trucks contained scenery and one carried electricals.

With a total of 400 pyrotechnics, four kilometres of cabling and 45 flying bars loaded with scenery, special effects, lights and speakers, it has taken 1,800 man hours for the crew to build the set and rig all the electrics. A backstage crew of 16 people is needed to run each performance.

And if you find yourself wondering just what goes into all that dry ice that will be seeping onto the stage and into the auditorium, it’s a kilogramme of liquid CO2, used in every performance.

One of the highlights of this year’s panto is a 3D magic mirror used by the Wicked Queen to conjure up her evil magic. There are three projectors used to create the special effects; projecting 3D images eight metres across the stage onto a screen measuring nine metres by five metres. Produced by Qdos Entertainment, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs is staged and directed by Jon Conway and the same team that created last year’s Alhambra panto, Jack And The Beanstalk.

This year’s 20-strong cast – headed by Billy as loveable Muddles, former Emmerdale actress Sian Reeves as the Wicked Queen, comic Peter Piper as Chambers, Kelly Chinery as Snow White and Stephen Craig as the handsome prince – have clocked up an estimated 2,000 hours in rehearsal time at the Alhambra Studio, and on the main stage.

Also treading the boards will be Churchill, the nodding dog from the insurance TV adverts. Churchill may be a dog of few words, but his catchphrase “Oh yes!” fits the panto bill.

For Billy, a former pupil of Benton Park School in Rawdon, being on the Alhambra stage is like coming home. “I’m always touched by the reception when I walk out on that stage,” he said. “Bradford audiences appreciate hard work. When people have bought panto tickets you make sure you give them a good show.”

Billy knows the true meaning of showbusiness mantra ‘the show must go on’, having pressed ahead with performances despite various mishaps over the years. Sword-fighting, acrobatics, flying and falling into the orchestra pit left him with a broken toe, finger and collarbone. And a few years ago he ended up at Bradford Royal Infirmary after cracking his rib in a production of Dick Whittington.

“I was attached to a flying harness and my rib just went,” recalled Billy. “I spent the performance in agony. I finally went to casualty on Boxing Day and managed to make it for the last half of the matinee – the reception I got from the audience was wonderful.

“One night I landed in the pit between crashmats and nearly broke my ankle,” he said. “You just get on with it.”

Billy enjoys the backstage camaraderie at the Alhambra. “We all work closely together. It’s important that we get on to keep each other’s energy levels up. I always tell people to watch the children pouring in to the auditorium. That’s why we do this, for the smiles on their faces.”

Billy will be joined in the panto by his wife Kerry, who is one of the dancers, and their nine-year-old son Jack.

“It’s lovely to have them on stage with me over Christmas,” said Billy.

  • Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs runs at the Alhambra from tonight to Sunday, February 6, 2011. Tickets are available on (01274) 432000.

e-mail: emma.clayton @telegraphandargus.co.uk