The Snow Queen

This was the first time I had visited this society and what a treat it was. Billed as a pantomime, ‘The Snow Queen’ certainly had all the ingredients for a panto. with booing, hissing, slap stick and audience participation but it was more than that. There was lots of dialogue and this young cast handled it  with ease and confidence keeping the action moving along at a good pace .Very well chosen musical numbers enhanced the story and created an ambience which supported the choreography.

Every character played his/her part well. Emma Byrne looked gorgeous as the  suitably nasty Snow Queen and contrasted well with the charming Summer Queen (Maree Yu). Rachael Donaghue (Gerda) and Jennie Whigham(Kay) complemented each other and both sang particularly well. Another excellent pairing was Ben Whigham as the somewhat naive Jack Frost and Ellie Marshall who was bouncy, vivacious Snowbell. There was lots of comedy and humour throughout the production and Keiran West as Handy Annie never missed an opportunity to bring out the humour. A natural comedienne who’s scene in Handy Annie’s shop was so well played.

Erin Broadley too was a fantastic Grandfather with some excellent comedy timing and mannerisms. Cameron Robertson(Mayor), Jaime Lang(Mayoress), Eve Handyside(Old Lady)  Ross Walker(Doctor) and Esme Weir (Granny Rose) all fulfilled their roles admirably.
The scenery and costumes were quite amazing and really brought this excellent production to life. I particularly enjoyed the scene in the Norwegian Wood which was quite delightful. The Ice Palace too was very pretty with lighting which created a real fairy tale atmosphere.

All in all this was a charming production with a cast of youngsters who oozed confidence and enthusiasm, First class choreography was well executed by all on stage and the whole production was a pleasure to watch and listen to.
Many congratulations to all the cast and production team for a most enjoyable evening.

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