Bosses at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury are on a high following the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The pantomime, which starred ex-EastEnder Emma Barton and TV presenter Stephen Mulhern, ended its run on Sunday. There were 91 performances and 81,425 people saw the production.

This beats the record for attendances for previous pantomimes at the Marlowe – the record had been set by another production of Snow White in 2003/04, when there were 89 performances and 74,626 people.

Theatre director Mark Everett said: "This fantastic result shows that high-quality, feel-good entertainment will always attract a large number of people, whatever the economic condition."

There are just nine weeks to go before the Marlowe is expected to close for a major refurbishment.

The work is expected to take more than two years and the 2009/10 pantomime will be Peter Pan in a big top theatre at Kingsmead coach park.

More than 10,000 seats have already been sold or reserved. Tickets can be booked on 01227 787787 or at www.marlowetheatre.com

•For an end of panto interview with Stephen Mulhern, see this week's Kentish Gazette, out on Thursday.