Sadler’s Wells Presents Birmingham Rep’s Production Of The Snowman At The Peacock Theatre, London Review

Reviewed by Wanda Ramsey

Returning for its 25th year, we were honoured to attend the opening matinee performance of the stage show based upon the book by Raymond Briggs and the film directed by Dianne Jackson and produced by John Coats. On arrival at the entrance there was a photo opportunity with The Snowman which was an unexpected surprise.

The Box office was easy to find to collect our tickets and staff available for advice. The theatre is suitable for wheelchair access with a dedicated lift to all areas and accessible toilets in the Foyer and Stalls levels. Buggy parking is located in the Dress Circle Bar and baby changing facilities are available on both levels.

There are two bars selling a variety of beers, wines, soft drinks, sweets and snacks on both the Stalls and Dress Circle levels. There is also The Fox Garden Café serving curries and cakes.

Staff were available at both entrances to the auditorium to direct you to your seats which were all clearly labelled and easy to find. Seating is comfortable for the average person but slightly cramped for taller people. There are no booster seats available for children, but we overcame this with our coats which also kept those tidy and out of the way, although there is a cloakroom available for coats and small items.

In the opening scene we are introduced to The Boy waking up in bed on a beautiful snowy morning, after having breakfast and Mum helping him to get dressed, he goes out to play in the snow.

People are milling about throwing snowballs and having fun whilst listening to carol singers. The Boy decides to build a huge Snowman whom he dresses with a big floppy hat and woolly scarf, with a carrot for his nose and coal for his eyes and buttons. The Boy starts to throw snowballs but unfortunately breaks a window leaving Mum apologising to the neighbour and ushering The Boy inside. It takes both Mum and Dad to pull off The Boys wellingtons after which Mum helps him get ready for bed while Dad falls asleep in the chair in front of the TV. Like most excited children The Boy doesn’t want to stay in bed but after a game of cat and mouse Mum finally gets The Boy to sleep and wakes Dad to go to bed themselves.

During the night with the snow still falling The Boy awakes and goes outside to find The Snowman has come to life. He invites him indoors and after playing with the cat they sit by the fire watching TV until, suddenly The Boy realises The Snowman is melting! He rushes to turn off the fire and they go to kitchen to cool down in the fridge.

While the fridge door is open the contents escape for a party with Coconut, Pineapple and Banana doing the limbo with hilarious moves under a pole held by The Boy and The Snowman. Still not cold enough The Snowman and The Boy headed to the freezer where The Snowman was able to chill properly.

Then they go off to Mum and Dad’s room where they checked to make sure they were asleep before The Snowman dresses up as Dad in his trousers, tie and glasses and Mums hat. Then off to the playroom where when the music box is wound up the ballerina comes to life dancing with The Snowman and The Boy and Teddy joins in too.

Lastly off to the garage where they uncover Dads motorbike and side car which they take on their adventure to the woods, there they meet Fox, Rabbit, Badger and Squirrel who Snowman scares with bike.  The scene closes with them standing in the woods with the snow falling for the 20 minute interval.

The second half opens once again standing in the snowy woods and takes us to the iconic flying scene to Walking In The Air where they are transported around the globe past icebergs and whales to the North Pole. There they meet more Snow people, the Ice Princess, dancing Penguins and naughty Jack Frost. The Ice Princess enjoys dancing with The Snowman whilst naughty Jack Frost tries to steal her away.

Finally enter The Reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh full of presents which he distributes to everyone except naughty Jack Frost, even the Penguins get a fish each and The Boy receives a Snowman scarf. The Boy and The Snowman fly back home and The Boy goes back to bed.

The closing scene in the morning when he awakes and goes outside all The Boy finds is a mound of snow and a sad pile of clothes, a carrot and a pile of coal but then he reaches in his pocket and finds the snowman scarf.
It was a thoroughly enchanting show which all the children enjoyed and at just under 2 hours it was a perfect length for small children. It was a magical performance from all the cast and Stanley Williams gave a brilliant performance bringing The Boy to life.

Rating: 5/5

The show is on from Saturday 19th November 2022 until Saturday 31st December 2022

Tickets cost from £18.00

For more information or to book tickets please visit https://www.sadlerswells.com/your-visit/peacock-theatre or phone the Box Office on 020 7863 8222

Venue: Portugal St, London WC2A 2HT

The Theatre is easy walking distance from Holborn Station for the Central and Piccadilly lines and Temple for the Circle and District lines.