With outstanding performances from Parisa Shahmir as Gerda and Jack Wolfe as Kai, The Snow Queen at the Rose Theatre in Kingston is not one to miss. A Rose original production, Snow Queen reaches beyond the realm of Christmas theatre and soars beyond the traditional, yearly pantomimes.
Beginning with an introduction from the youth theatre ensemble cast, the audience was transported straight into the Christmas mood with a welcoming and lively toy-making elf stage laid out in front of me.
As the first number began, it was known by all that this would be a show to remember. In particular, the set design and fluidity of changing scenes surprised and astounded me. With only the cast arranging and placing set pieces. The ingenuity of the designs allowed large spikes of fabric to be drawn across the stage to act as icicles in the most mesmerising way. Not only that, but a factory, a dingy city street and a pirate ship were all created on stage out of think air in front of my eyes.
The music was atmospheric and echoed in my head for days after. The singing from Shahmir was especially melodic t and large ensemble numbers raised excitement both onstage and in the audience. Moreover, the originality and interesting take on a classic musical style was fresh and inventive.
As for the story, the childhood fairy tale of the snow queen by Hans Christian Anderson was transformed into a wondrous musical of magic, quests and self-discovery with spectacular visuals and sounds. In particular, the glowing rings some members of the cast wore that gave the idea of spells stood out to me as ingenious and innovative.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to see this fantastic show, and I applaud the cast and backstage crew on their magical performance. I encourage all ages to book tickets before the show ends in January.
