1 December – 15 January
As with many a folk tale or fairytale (this one is based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen) the kernel of the plot contains some kind of tussle between right and wrong, good and evil, which is played out in bright colours that even a four to eight year-old mind can distinguish between. That said, there is no hint of a homily or moralising in The Snow Queen. Indeed there is little I can say about the Tobacco Factory’s Christmas show that isn’t summed up by one word, ‘perfect’. From the audience embracing prologue given by a thoroughly engaging Abayomi Oniyide to the happy epilogue the show is gloriously faultless fun.
Somewhere in the countryside near Copenhagen young Kaj (Joey Hickman) has his, ‘durr’, moment when he gets a shard of an Ogre’s distorting mirror lodged in his eye and passes from the joyful innocence of youth, leaving behind a belief in the numinous in favour of the cold light of reason. In masking the good parts of his character the mirror leads him to reject his childhood friend, Gerda (Natisha Williams) after which he hitches a ride on the sleigh of the Snow Queen (Stefanie Mueller) and is whisked off to the North Pole. The resulting story follows Gerda’s adventures, trials and tribulations as she sets off to rescue her friend. Her encounters with the deliciously scheming and two-faced Aunty Rose (Samantha Sutherland) and the friend-seeking robber princess (Alex Murdoch) as well as the flock of annoyingly squawking crows are all little gems in themselves.
You can usually tell a lot about the quality of a panto or Christmas show by the amount of fun the cast are having. Director Alex Byrne, whose detailed eye enriches the show in every nook and cranny, has freed his cast to spread their wings and allow the joy of performing to colour and inform their roles. The glee of mucking about in front of an audience, entertaining them, making them laugh and engaging their imaginations is palpable. But the apparent mucking about and doing silly things is the result of much hard work. The New International Encounter theatre company are a talented group who sing and play music with as much fizz as they act. Indeed the music of composer, Joey Hickman, and sound designer, Jon Fiber, is an integral part of the show, from the jaunty songs to the gentle incidental music that weaves its way throughout the storytelling. Lighting, costumes and set all play their part.
You couldn’t find a better way to start your Christmas than this hygge hug of a production.
★★★★★ Graham Wyles, 7th December 2022
Photo credit: Mark Dawson
