From the day it opened Chester’s Storyhouse has consistently lived up to its name in bringing brilliant storytelling to its audiences, and this Christmas they uphold that reputation in this beautifully crafted production of The Snow Queen.
A notoriously complicated fairytale, which has appeared with a series of variations even in successive editions of Hans Christian Andersen’s original, this clever adaptation by Charles Way sticks remarkably close to the most popularly known storybook narrative, whilst giving it a clear plot and a contemporary feel.
Gerda and Cai are next-door neighbours and good friends, whose attic bedroom windows are linked by a precarious bridge, on which they grow a tiny garden. When Cai gets a splinter of the Snow Queen’s shattered mirror in his eye, his heart grows cold, and he is spirited away by the evil Queen and her henchmen and forced into the labour of mending the mirror. Gerda sets off to look for Cai, finding herself on a magical journey through the seasons, three of which are battling against the threat of eternal winter.
Jacob Hughes’ ingenious set transforms the stage from ice palace to cosy houses and from the bottom of the river to a summer meadow with the help of deft scenery, aided by video and lighting effects from Ceri James. Perched atop an icy mountain range is the four-piece band, who conjure a range of musical styles from Celtic mystery to something closer to heavy rock, in a soundscape that never overwhelms the words from the cast.
Central to the story are Rosemarie Akwafo and Taona Matope, who are an absolute delight as Gerda and Cai. Akwafo heroically fights her way through the various challenges, while Matope splendidly captures the opposing callous and loving faces of Cai in an impressive professional debut performance, having recently graduated from LIPA.
Will Kirk and Chloe Wade are companions on the way as their friends John and Elisa and, along with the rest of the cast, transform themselves into various other characters, both dark and comic. Kate Malyon, Tom Richardson and Flo Wilson not only play parents and a grandmother, but several alternate roles (watch out for Richardson’s priceless tap-dancing reindeer!) and Lucy Tuck is suitably slippery as the omnipresent and insidious Snow Queen herself.
As mentioned earlier, storytelling is the key to this adaptation, and this is most evident in the very well developed first act and in the later scenes of Act II. The first few scenes after the interval give way to something more whimsical, including a very funny beach sequence filled with inflatable palm trees, and featuring a ball-pool masquerading as a hot-tub in a scene that could come straight from Love Island. It’s here, and in a later scene with the robbers, that the silliness slightly breaks the fairytale spell, but it is worth it for the comic relief in one of the darkest parts of Andersen’s story.
At just under an hour each way the length and pace of the show are pitched well to hold the full attention of a rapt audience of all ages, and there is plenty of snow and sparkle to keep it festive.
The Snow Queen continues at Storyhouse to the 15th January. Seats are available for most performances but, with many at limited availability, it’s good to know that both live streamed and recorded ‘as-live’ performances are available to book online at various times up to New Years Eve, so anyone unable to get to the theatre in person can enjoy it at home over the holidays.
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| The cast of The Snow Queen |
Star rating: 4½ stars
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