The Snow Queen (Jan 2016)
Director: Lisa Pilkington
Choreographer: Cathie Henry
Written by : Ron Hall
The Snow Queen was a show I had never seen before so I was very much looking forward to knowing where the story would take us. As the title suggests, the production revolves around a Snow Queen who is desperate for a son. In order to fulfil her desire she lures a small boy to her castle and slowly freezes his core so he forgets his past and eventually believes he is the Snow Prince. Cathie Henry tried hard to portray the evil, title character and had copious amounts of enthusiasm. Luke Ellam gave a confident performance as Kay, the poor, unsuspecting boy entrapped by the Queen. He showed good stage presence and portrayed the role well. The Snow Queen was aided by Jack Frost and Bernard Holding gave a solid performance in this role.
Of course, everyone in the village is concerned when Kay disappears, so a search party is formed and sent out to look for him. This is headed up by Peter (Kay's elder Brother), Gerda (Peter's girlfriend) and their friends. Otto and the good old Dame. Sophie Eastoe (Peter) was confident in the role and teamed up well with Jen Edwards (Gerda). Both worked hard and gave solid performances. A definite highlight of the search team, and indeed the whole show, was Otto, played with style and panache by Susan Halton. Her endless energy and comedy timing had the audience gripped from start to finish - well done!
As the team travel far and wide in the search for Kay, they meet various people along the way. One character they came across was the Sun Queen - the Snow Queens 'less evil' sister. This was ably played Caroline Smith who added another dimension to the plot.
It was lovely to see so many younger members in the cast. The ensemble sang well and was clearly enjoying itself, which was great to see.
The costumes and scenery were in keeping and set the scene well for the show. The opening scene was a particular highlight with the show beginning in an upbeat manner enabling the audience to sing along whilst the snow was falling onto the village. Overall, a satisfactory production which entertained an almost full house of several generations. Well done to all involved.
