Park Theatre – until 4 January 2020
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Park Theatre’s Christmas production of The Snow Queen is deliciously dark and dangerous – perfect for children who have outgrown the saccharine Disney versions. Abigail Anderson plays with Hans Christian Anderson’s original story, omitting the Christian moralising and creating a sibling war between the seasons as The Snow Queen tries to silence the other seasons and create an eternal Winter.
Gerda and her friend Cei have both lost a parent, and this loss has affected their families in different ways. Gerda suffers from panic attacks at the thought of breaking rules, while Cei is a daring and creative risktaker. Cei catches the eye of the Snow Queen, who takes him to her palace to mend her shattered mirror, not knowing that a shard has already fallen in Cei’s eye. Everyone thinks Cei is dead, but Gerda won’t accept this and goes on a quest into the wide world to bring Cei home, travelling through the lands of Spring, Summer and Autumn and meeting the weird and wonderful inhabitants.
The show is a slow burner, as there is a lot of back story to set up, but the multi-roling cast inject enough physical comedy into the introductions to keep the interest of the younger audience members. Richard Williamson’s lighting effortlessly realise each season, and the cast have a ball with the OTT characters. When the little girl next to me realised that the stern father (Justin Brett) had now become the preening and ridiculous Daffodil she screamed with delight. Brett, Paula James, Sarah-Louise Young and Matthew Cavendish are wonderful comedy performers, interacting with each other and the young audience joyfully and irreverently. Ayesha Casely-Hayford is the calm centre of the mayhem, subtly portraying Gerda’s growing determination and self-awareness as she searches for Cei (the impressive Esmonde Cole). Frances Marshall as the Snow Queen is the epitome of cold and selfish evil – there is no redemption for her, which is refreshing.
Even though part of me feels that this may be for older children, the smiles on the audience members shrinking into their parents’ arms during scarier moments proves me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with a little scare, as long as it’s followed by a big laugh. Even the cannibal robbers didn’t faze the kids – because what child doesn’t find a man in a skirt being bopped over the head with a bone hilarious?
Another Christmas cracker from the Park Theatre – thrills, chills and silliness that will melt the coldest heart.