Reviewed by Catherine Brown
The endearing family stage show of ‘The Snowman’ has returned to The Peacock Theatre in the heart of London throughout the Christmas period. A charming show, with lots of traditional elements of the original story by Raymond Briggs, there is something for all ages in this adaptation by Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company.
Many of the young audience members were wearing Christmas jumpers and party dresses; a few families mentioned that seeing this show had become a yearly tradition for them. When ‘Walking in the air’ started to play the youngsters who had been excitedly chattering, quietened to a more hushed murmur.
Inspired by the classic book and familiar animated film, the show starts when a young boy is excited to look out of his bedroom window and see that it has begun snowing. He has fun jumping around and making snow angels before building a snowman. After reluctantly going to bed, he wakes to discover that his snowman has come alive. He welcomes his new friend into his home and introduces him to new experiences such as playing with the cat and riding a motorbike.
Once they have cooled the Snowman down in the freezer, the pair of friends discover they can fly together. This is where the familiar ‘Walking in the air’ tune fits in perfectly with the story. After exploring different places they end up in the North Pole where they meet Father Christmas and the Snow Princess. The boy and Snowman help their new friends to rescue the Snow Princess from Jack Frost who is trying to kidnap her. After waking the next morning to see that his new friend has melted, the boy realises that it wasn’t just a dream as he still has the scarf which was a gift from Father Christmas.
Throughout the show the talented cast demonstrated excellent mime and dance ability. While there is minimal talking, the story is easy to follow and includes some charming dancing, particularly from the Music Box Ballerina and Snow Princess. The biggest cheers were saved for the finale when a beautiful surprise reinforced the magic.
The set used simple familiar objects when scenes were inside and snow covered trees outside plus the use of extra projections to create a sparkling fairy-tale setting. The costumes and props were impressive, with plenty of visual humour to make the show just as entertaining for adults and children. The only slight downside was hearing some of the younger children getting upset during the set changes when it was very dark for prolonged periods of time.
The Peacock Theatre is in the heart of the city with plenty of restaurants and public transport nearby. There are bars on two levels with a range of drinks and snacks available to pre-order. A lift was available if required, along with a buggy park for pushchairs. Merchandise for sale included Snowman teddies, baubles and snowglobes. There was a large inflatable snowman on each level, which proved popular for youngsters to have their photograph taken with.
The Snowman is a wonderful family show, with just the right balance of magic, music, dance and humour. It would be the perfect show to take younger family members to for their first theatre experience.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £18 (booking fees may apply).
The Snowman is at The Peacock in London from 21 November 2019 to 5 January 2020, for more information or to book tickets visit peacocktheatre.com or call the box office on 020 7863 8222.
The Peacock, Portugal Street, Holborn, London, WC2A 2HT | 020 7863 8222
