The Snow Queen

This was a production which engaged the audience and delivered a very entertaining performance indeed. It succeeded so well in this both through the commitment, focus, energy and skill of all the performers, and through the fact that all the elements worked so well together, with strength across all the departments of the production team.

All of the essentials of a good pantomime were there, with a string of delightful set-pieces. The Direction (Steve Crumpler) was very assured and brought out the best in  the script, and the strengths of the performers. The excellent Choreography and Musical Direction (Amy Parker) complemented this perfectly. There was a good variety of song styles from rap to rock and the choreography was very well designed, fitting each number admirably, and very well executed.

The lighting design (Will Geeson) worked well, including a nice device of a bright white wash when the Winter Queen and Jack Frost ‘turned to the good’, and the sets were thoughtfully designed (Steve Crumpler) and executed by the painting and construction team, such as the backdrop paintings of Ikea Town and the North Pole, and the painted flats of the Ice Palace. Stage furniture was also good and I was particularly taken with Nelly’s and Olaf’s good-looking ice-cream cart.

The costumes (Kirsty Andrews) were superb, both for the Chorus, as with the Ikea Town townsfolk in their black tops and polka dot skirts, and for the characters. The ‘Dame’ character of nelly Knickerbocker sported a whole array of great outfits, as per the panto tradition, and special mention should go to Jack Frost’s sparkly blue costume, the Snow Queen’s amazing slivery dress and headgear, the Mayor’s plush red coat for the North Pole, Chilly’s and Willy’s penguin costumes, the Crow outfits and the outstanding costumes worn by all three seasonal Queens.

The performances brought out the best in the script which had a strong and interesting eco theme, from Mother Nature’s role through to the penguins threatened by global warming and the crows commenting on all the human food waste left lying around. Gerda performed with conviction and portrayed an engaging earnestness, along with appropriate and clear facial expressions in reaction to what was said or happening on stage. Kai rose well to the challenge of what is quite a difficult role as Gerda’s true love with the splinter of ice, and demonstrated some good dancing along with the chorus in the Cold As Ice number.

Nelly and Olaf Knickerbocker were excellent as the ‘Dame and son’ comedy duo and performed some great repartee together. Both exuded energy and the full panto spirit and as well as fine acting Olaf showed strong panto skills, both in engaging the audience to participate and in improvisation, as when recovering at one point from having put the cart before the wheel, as it were. The Mayor character, Boris Burgermeister also showed strong panto panache and a variety of good facial expressions. The Troll made a sound guardian of the bridge and his repartee with Nelly was very funny. The two Crows  were a delightful double-act who, like Nelly and Olaf, interacted well with each other and who also sang very well together in both the lively I’m a Growing Girl and the charming When I See a Penguin Fly. Another good double-act with convincing interactions were the penguins, Chilly and Willy  who gave their characters and convincing interactions a Laurel-and-Hardyesque quality.

The Snow Queen was particularly a strong actor and delivered the rap song a Queen of Mean with loads of ‘attitude’. Jack Frost was very good as her sidekick and sang You’re as Cold as Ice with aplomb and strong projection. There was delightful appearance of Santa Claus and one of the several highlights of the show was the Everyone Together number which included the Chorus, Mother Nature and the seasonal Queens: Quen of Spring, Queen of Summer and Queen of Autumn. This showcased some excellent singing and dancing from all, and the seasonal Queens also had a moment in the sun with their seasonal songs (Spring is Everywhere, Here Comes the Sun, California Dreaming).

The Chorus was an absolute delight in this number and in all of the others in which they appeared. They had clearly worked very hard and had excellent direction and provided both a bedrock and an enhancement of the story and action. Congratulations to all of them. This was a classic pantomime, well directed, that hit the right notes and as a consequence was very enjoyable. It featured standard routines such as the Yeti appearing in and out behind a line-up of Principals, prompting vociferous ‘It’s behind you’ from the audience; there were plenty of topical jokes and the usual audience involvement, as with the Superman song with its accompanying actions, before the final scene. The fact that the audience participated so readily demonstrated their engagement and enjoyment in the show, which was facilitated in no small measure by the warmth of the performances from everyone on stage.

Well done to all, including the Stage Manager (Gary Sturgess) and Stage Crew (Gordon Morris and Lydia Birch) and the Front of House team (John and Sandra House and Jane Wood).

 

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