As the Addenbrooke’s pantomime enters its 30th year, it has once again demonstrated the talent, humour and capacity for self-deprecation by the humble Cambridge medical student. Frozenmide: The I.C.E Queen is a story which takes the primary characters of Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Hans…. adds Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk… and tops it off with the Caius medical Director of Studies (very convincingly played by John Latimer). The end product is an endearing production with elements of high-end musical flair which leaves a non-medical student like myself quite confused about whether I am incredibly glad or incredibly jealous that I never see the working side of Addenbrookes.

"The leads all delivered electrifying performances"

The quality of the acting in this pantomime was notable. Both Lydia Seed (Elsa) and Bolin Dai (Anna) delivered superb performances, effectively developing the dynamic of sisters torn apart by different stages of clinical training. I would love to highlight the vocal ability of the two actresses as outstanding, but truthfully the calibre of singing across all the leads was exceptional. When paired with the energy each of these individuals brought to stage, the leads all delivered electrifying performances. A special credit should go to Dominika Wiatrowaska whose hyper-sexualised Sven the Reindeer provided many moments of brillant physical comedy. Despite working with an original script which occasionally lagged, the energy level on stage rarely dropped with this cast.

The real gem of this pantomime was the communal spirit it embodied. The joy that each cast member brought to stage was contagious. The show was at its best when making full use of its ensemble members, in a defiant unification against the soul-sucking pantomime villains working in corporate finance. Though underused, the scenes and musical number which brought the ensemble on stage were high points of the show. As with the solo performances, the limited choreography was fantastic, leaving me wishing even more of the songs had a dance number to go with them. The infectious chemistry within the cast was heartwarming, and bonded them with an audience full of those with shared experience of “Addies”.

"The real gem of this pantomime was the communal spirit it embodied"

The technical side of the production was a little hit and miss in places. An immense fifteen piece band serenaded arrangements of songs ranging from Dolly Parton to Avril Lavigne and, of course, some Disney classics. A huge credit should be paid to Musical Directors Christoper Cheng and Emma Dinnage for an incredibly diverse soundtrack. A further credit is also due to the masterful work of the team of lyric writers; who converted all the songs to be strictly medical in theme leading to some hilarious renditions.

However the music rose from the pit onto a slightly desolate stage, as the main set pieces - medical curtain and flimsy looking hospital bed - were swallowed up by the size of the Mumford Theatre. Similarly some very captivating lighting design (complete with comically quick spotlights) jarred against faulty mics which at times left the orchestra drowning out vocal performances.

Whilst the show is staged for the fantastic cause of raising money for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, Lifecraft and Jimmy’s night shelter, this production has many qualities of a big-budget West-End pantomime. Despite some shortcomings in the technical and staging aspects, overall it is a performance that will warm the hearts of medical and non-medical students alike. Just as any great panto should!

The Addenbrookes Charity Pantomime is playing at the Mumford Theatre from the 10th to 14th of January at 7:30pm