Review: The Snowman for a first-class family Christmas show
‘Mummy, the naughty boy who tried to take the princess doesn’t get a present!’
Four-year-old Big Girl was completely immersed in the sweet story about The Snowman yesterday, and quickly drew her own conclusions about what could happen to the show’s baddie Jack Frost.
The Snowman, now in its 19th consecutive year at The Peacock, is a Christmas show I’ve been recommended by friends on several occasions, and I was so excited to take Big Girl yesterday and see her reaction to this magical festive treat. We had been invited to review The Snowman, based on the book by Raymond Briggs and the film directed by Dianne Jackson and produced by John Coates, and we left feeling this was a truly first-class family Christmas show.
The dance adaptation tells the story of a boy who builds a snowman who comes to life and joins him inside their house before they go flying together and head to the North Pole. The story is told through music and dance, and one of the most magical moments is when the live orchestra plays Walking in the Air and the boy and the Snowman fly off. One of my most memorable theatre moments from growing up is also from a character flying across the stage, and seeing the flying scene with Big Girl yesterday almost made me feel emotional.
For her, I know the highlights from the show were also some of the laugh-out-loud funny moments in the production, which included giant-sized dancing fruit, and the snowman driving the boy’s dad’s motorcycle around the stage. The ballerina dancing is equally impressing to young ballet fans, and Big Girl was in awe when the music box ballerina came to life and the Snow Princess showed off her ballerina moves, while I loved the shadow show, representing the boy’s dreams.
The Snowman won us over with a charming, varied and fast-moving production. Families can expect beautiful music and dance, large props and special effects, including snow. A magical Christmas blizzard!
The Snowman is playing until 1 January 2017, and tickets are £15 to £36. I think four-year-old Big Girl was a good age for being introduced to the show, and I can see her wanting to go see The Snowman for many years to come now. We also met friends in the audience with a three-year-old, who also enjoyed the show.
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