Hans Andersen’s The Snow Queen is a long, dark and complex tale. This adaptation by Theresa Heskins ditches some of the bleakest elements, so gone are his depictions of the devil, a pack of evil trolls, and a mirror that can reflect only ugliness and sin. The overtly Christian moralising has gone, too, so the grandmother with a penchant for Biblical quotations has also been given the push. Nevertheless, this trimmed-down version remains largely faithful to the original’s ideas and themes, but with some new, jollier ingredients. These include including considerable dollops of knockabout fun, and lots of dancing and song. Thanks to Bronia Housman’s striking ice-blue set and colourful costume designs and Clare Fox’s witty choreography it’s visually spectacular too. Director Paul Clarkson brings all these elements together to create a very engaging piece of imaginative theatre, full of comedy, pathos and adventure.
The central characters are playmates Kai and Gerda. Ashley Woodhouse brings great charm and humour to his portrayal of Kai, a willing young lad all too aware of his own limitations. Woodhouse is a strapping young man who succeeds admirably in convincing us that he’s an eight-year-old boy who is only just beginning to read. Gerda, the hero of this tale, is played winningly by Jo Patmore. She brings to the role a cleverness and gutsy determination that Hans Andersen would have loved, though he might have been more than a little surprised to discover that she is also a skilled drummer.
A more adult friendship features Soren and Karen, a couple teetering upon the edge of declaring their affection for each other. Rory Alexander conveys Soren’s tongue-tied shyness in a manner that is both comic and rather touching. Heloise Lowenthal shows that Karen holds all the cards as far as emotional intelligence is concerned, gently leading Soren to find a way to declare his love for her. Lowenthal is also the title character, the Snow Queen herself. In that imperious role she demonstrates an impressively powerful singing voice.
Another actor with a lovely voice is Kiera Lester, who plays the flower-bedecked Summer. She’s an advocate of aromatherapy, and boss of the Garden of Forgetfulness. Summer’s twee mannerisms hide the moral danger that lies behind her apparently innocence assertion that ‘happiness is forgetting.’
Chanel Waddock shows very considerable comic skills, both as the Gradgrind-like Teacher, fanatically obsessed with facts, and as Lily, a flower with surprisingly aggressive tendencies. Tian Chaudhry gives a spirited performance as Robbergirl who, much to her own bemusement, discovers that she is capable of kindness, but not before she has flattened Robbermum in a gymnastic punch-up. Robbermum is played with boozy gusto by Esmée Cook.
The cast of fourteen very talented young actors between them play well over different forty roles. The non-human parts include sweet-voiced Robin, who contrasts splendidly with harshly cawing Crow, and there’s a trio of very funny pigeons, heads bobbing in unison. There’s also a reindeer with a deliciously Scandinavian accent.
We are told that this show is all about ‘friendship, love, hope and hot chocolate’, and that’s not far wrong. But other themes include the importance of learning versus ignorance, hard-boiled facts versus flights of fancy, and loyal remembrance versus selfish forgetfulness. It even touches on the nature of Time. That’s a lot of ideas to pack into a relatively short show, and the very youngest in the audience may occasionally find it rather hard to follow, though they will be delighted by all the colour, movement and music. There’s the excitement of sledging and skating, too.
Eventually, after many trials and tribulations, Gerda and Kai’s story reaches a very satisfactory conclusion, and matters are rounded off musically with everyone singing a Christmas medley. The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s The Snow Queen is an enchanting show, offering a much that will entertain both young and old. Catch it if you can. ★★★★☆ Mike Whitton 30th November 2019
