Returning for its 25th year at the Peacock Theatre at Sadler's Wells in Islington, Birmingham Rep’s production of The Snowman brings magic and nostalgia to the festive season.
The Snowman, directed by Bill Alexander, is a recreation of the festive classic created by Raymond Briggs - who died earlier this year - and the 1982 film directed by Dianne Jackson.
It tells the story of a boy who makes a snowman on Christmas Eve to discover that it has magically come to life with the ability to fly all the way to the North Pole.
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The show includes the original music and lyrics by Howard Blake, which really reach new heights when played by a live orchestra.
Ruari Murchison’s set design is perfectly charming and encapsulates the artwork first seen in the book and the later cartoon.
The set has so much attention to detail to recreate the various rooms in the house that the Snowman encounters on his travels.
The front room is laid out very much like the original with the multicoloured Christmas tree, vintage television set and even the appearance of a sleeping black cat that dances into life.
The snowman goes though the painstaking motions of trying on various garments, lotions and potions while the boy’s parents are asleep, unbeknown to the intruder.
The one hour and 50-minute-long show brings all the original scene’s audiences know and love from the original, like the motorbike ride through a darkened countryside and the iconic “Walking in the Air” scene where both snowman and boy fly about the stage.
However, the show also includes new scenes and characters not seen in the original, such as a rather comedic appearance of dancing exotic fruit that shuffle their way out of the fridge to play limbo with the other characters.
Other new additions include an ominous Jack Frost and a beautiful ice princess in the snowy forests of the North Pole, where the characters waltz their way through ballet to a heated tango.
The show includes some ballet mixed in with other elements of dance and movement to tell the story.
One of my highlights was the appearance of a very sprightly Father Christmas, partaking in a dance-off with his reindeer and North Pole penguins.
Seeing such an agile Santa leaping across the stage was certainly a novel experience to say the least and most entertaining for both the adults and children.
When the show ends with a flourish of snow from above, you will feel as if you’ve watched the Snowman for the first time.
If there was ever a show that beautifully mirrored the original creation, The Snowman at Peacock Theatre would be up there with the best of them.
It’s simply a beautifully executed recreation of the original, lengthened and expanded to be an immersive and nostalgic stage play that all the family can enjoy.
The Snowman will run until December 31, tickets start from £18.
Address: Portugal Street, WC2A 2HT
Website: sadlerswells.com
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