There was only one question
on the lips of the audience as the lights dimmed for this truly magical
experience...
“Will he
fly?”
And as James and his cool
new friend gracefully left the ground we too were taken on a journey in this
masterpiece of dance, drama and fantasy.
The Snowman truly is
a tale of friendship and discovery as a young boy enjoys the trip
of a lifetime packed with the colourful characters
we're now so familiar with from television.
The freedom of the stage, rather than
being a constraint to the action, allows for
so much more imagination and
colour.
The first
section set the scene for young James's home life, his discovery
that the world outside his front door was white-over; building
a snowman and making the
amazing discovery that it
could come to
life.
This is the Birmingham
Repertory Theatre's acclaimed production and with no dialogue, the story is
beautifully told through music and movement. So we are treated to real musicians
in the orchestra pit and what seems like a cast of dozens – although the
programme assures us the actors are doubling up during the show.
The opening night's child
actor, Archie Durrant, is a fizzing ball of life with the many strings to his
bow including dance, mime and acrobatics. But he looks very assured and
comfortable, despite being centre stage for almost all of the hour and 20
minutes.
Aside from raising a laugh
with his clever creation of the snowman, he sparks a kitchen scene of
limbo-dancing fruit, plays a major role in the North Pole dance routines (with
the big man in red there too) and helps defeat the naughty Jack Frost. The
traditional toys in the playroom come to life in a most charming manner and it's
all so easy to believe in.
The flying
sequences (always magical in
theatre) are gracefully done with child
and snowman perfectly co-ordinated as they travel the
globe.
There are some 60
costumes in the show, and it's said the 11 snowmen costumes take up more than 11
miles of white netting to create. The spectacular has more backstage crew than
dancers, such is its complexity.
Attention
to detail is key, from the expressions on the
performers' faces to the snowman's
familiar hat and scarf.
For all the world it's as
though the actors have been plucked from the pages of
the book and it's clear that 20 years of The Snowman on stage have honed the
polite doff of the hat, the seamless scene changes, and energetic choreography
that never lets up.
So does
the tale end in the sadness of a lost friendship as
the thaw sets in? There's only one way to find out... get along to
enjoy the all-dancing festive conclusion!
