The Peacock Theatre, Sadlers Wells, Holborn, London – until 31st December 2022
Reviewed by Fozia Munshi
5*****
Based on the well-loved Raymond Briggs classic ‘The Snowman’ the stage show can only be described as magical.
Having grown up watching the TV adaptation, The Snowman has always been an integral part of the Christmas countdown in our family, we’ve got the books and each year eagerly await it being aired on TV.
From the moment we set foot in the theatre, the experience hit us full force, there was a Snowman greeting theatre goers at the door. The stage was set to look like a giant snow globe as we took our seats waiting for the show to begin.
The production remains fairly faithful to the book, on our night Stanley Williams played the boy, and he was magnificent as the little boy who builds the Snowman, my girls aged 3 and 5 immediately knew he was playing in the snow.
Once the snowman comes to life the fun truly begins, the dance with the toys left my three-year-old wide eyed and slack jawed (she now wants a magical ballerina on top of a music box). There is much hilarity for grownups as the Snowman and little boy explore the house in the night, whilst the children in the audience remain transfixed watching the magic unfolding before them.
The first half of the show consists of the boy and Snowman playing in the house and exploring outside, the intermission curtain goes down just as the Snowman and little boy look up at the night sky!
The iconic tune and the flight in the nighttime starts immediately as the curtain goes up after the intermission, a warning not to be away from your seat too long or you will miss the start of the signature ‘Walking in the air’ tune we all associate with the Snowman.
The production was great fun: there were ballet dancers, to my five year old ballet crazy daughters delight; Father Christmas made an appearance, much to every single child in the audiences delight; and Jack Frost also put in an appearance (unlike in the book which my very fastidious five year old pointed out).
The production was very well put together, the children were mesmerized and rooted to their seats. Samantha Rodulfo’s Ice Princess/Music Box Ballerina enchanted my littlies, and we had a few twirling ballerinas as we left the theatre.
The show marks the change in the season and everyone walking out of that theatre walked out in a festive mood. If you can go see it do so, walking out on to the Christmas light festooned streets after watching this Christmas classic come to life, really feels festive. My five-year-old hummed the ‘Walking on the Air’ tune on the way home. I think she put it best as she sighed, I think this was the best day ever! It certainly felt amazing!