The Snowman at the Parr Hall, Warrington Review
The Snowman
Parr Hall, Warrington
17 December 2014
Reviewed by Laura Parle
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the annual TV showing of Raymond Briggs the Snowman everyone raves about how magical it is, but I will be honest I have NEVER seen it… well that was until last night and I have to say I think I watched the most beautiful version ever!
The Snowman was on at one of my local theatre’s – The Parr Hall in Warrington, and for this festive treat I brought along my 2 year old daughter, and with her in mind several things were important to me. The first was parking, anyone with a small child with little legs knows how important parking can be, The Parr Hall scored major points as they have a sizable onsite car park the second important factor was seats. The seats in the theatre are brilliant and none are overlooked so even little eyes can see.
As the lights dimmed I grew nervous as I was surrounded by young children and I waited with baited breath to see how they would all manage with an hour long performance with no dialogue. The orchestra started up and every single person in the theatre was enthralled. We were given a demonstration of all the instruments and the various noises they made which was fascinating. The harp gained the largest sound of applause the children loved it.
Next up was a beautiful performance of Tchaikovsky’s the Nutcracker. The music was almost hypnotising and had little girls dancing in the aisles. It was also great fun as you could hear children pointing out the different instruments that were being played thanks to their earlier lesson.
Finally the screen came alive and The Snowman began, the orchestra were beautifully in time and really did convey the emotions projected on screen. There were lots of Ooohhss and Ahhs from the children – especially when Santa himself comes on the screen, everyone suddenly became very giddy. The most magical and enchanting part of the performance came from the delightful little local boy who sang Walking in the Air. As the story came to a close you truly felt you had been part of something very special – this feeling was definitely helped by all the children shouting “bye bye Mr Snowman.”
The whole performance was thoroughly spectacular and I can safely say that I will be waiting excitedly for the television showing of The Snowman although it won’ be the same.
An excellent festive production – a must see.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information about shows at the Parr Hall visit www.pyramidparrhall.com.
Pyramid & Parr Hall, Cultural Quarter, Palmyra Square South, Warrington, WA1 1BL | 01925 442884
