SNOW QUEEN: adapt Stafford, New Vic, N'castle Under Lyme till 11 January
Newcastle Under Lyme
THE SNOW QUEEN: Adapted by Nick Stafford from the story by Hans Christian Andersen
New Vic: Tkts 01782 717962
Runs: 1h 45m, one interval, till 11 January
Review: Rod Dungate, 15 December 2002-12-17
Lively and enchanting and so much to talk about afterwards.We're definitely in story-telling mode in this lively and enchanting version of Hans Andersen's tale. Not only because the story begins with a narrator (is it Andersen we wonder) who hardly starts before being rudely interrupted by trolls, but also because the story is framed by hero Gerda's grandmother who loves to tell her granddaughter and friend Kai tales.
The story centres around Kai's abduction by the wicked Snow Queen and feisty Gerda's rescue of him. As Gerda approaches each new hurdle she is asked 'Tell me your story' – Gerda, becomes, in fact, the sum total of her story. She (and we) are all a product of our stories, or our histories – a neat little thing for the youngsters who are held entranced by the production to talk about afterwards.
Designer Lis Evans does the production proud with witty props and costumes. So do lighting and effects – never more so than the first appearance of the Snow Queen herself wrapped in an icy mist fog and in the centre of a moving snow-flake – the children gasp.
But the Vic space throws all the weight on actors and the team is strong. Tess Mawle is a tough little Gerda: she's full of energy, driving the play along non-stop. Gregor Henderson-Begg handles his abrupt changes of mood with ease and tugs your heart strings as bemused prisoner. I particularly liked the two pragmatically realistic crows (Julie Jupp and Hannah Kimpton) and Clive Llewellyn's Prince. His Reindeer is beautiful describing the way he used to run about in new fallen snow, but his Prince is ace as he reminds the Princess, in full-flying Black Country accent (and no hint of irony) 'You know you married me because I talked best.'
As an adult you have to freewheel with this story to enjoy it – young people have no trouble with this - and there's so much to talk with youngsters about afterwards. Why does the Robber Girl let Gerda and the Reindeer go? Why is the Snow Queen so bitter? Why does the Old Woman want to keep Gerda in the garden of beautiful flowers? These are just for starters.
Narrator: Garth Bardsley
Snow Queen: Janine Birkett
Kai: Gregor Henderson-Begg
Grandmother, Old Lady, Old Robber Woman, Crow1, Old Lapp Woman: Julie Jupp
Little Robber Girl, Crow 2, Daisy: Hannah Kimpton
Big Troll, Reindeer, Prince, Tiger Lily, Guard: Clive Llewellyn
Gerda: Tess Mawle
Princess, Buttercup, Finnish Woman, Guard: Kate Webster
Children: Natalie Hall, Rosie Hampton, Phillipa Higginson, Joe Mellor, Hannah Phillips, Megan Shaw, Lizzie Strange, Matt Waller
Director: Chris Monks
Designer: Lis Evans
Choreographer: Beverley Edmunds
Musical Director: Ashley Thompson
Lighting: Jo Dawson
Sound: James Earls-Davis
2002-12-17 21:13:54