Dance review: The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre
THIS irresistible piece of nostalgia came into being on stage over twenty years ago.
This irresistible piece of nostalgia came into being on stage over twenty years ago
And it still packs them in with its noisy, simplistic fairy tale of a little boy’s dream adventures with the snowman he built in the front garden. Composer Howard Blake’s song Walking in the Air was a hit in 1982 but Welsh choirboy Aled Jones’s version went to No 5 in the 1985 hit parade and established his still continuing showbiz career.
The Boy last Wednesday was obviously a lad of an enthusiastic nature, his mimed performance bold, attractive and believable.
We first see him in designer Ruari Murchison’s cutaway set of his suburban semi home, getting all worked up about the falling snow outside his bedroom window. The next few minutes of the show are spent hastily building up to and presenting the point of the whole thing, The Snowman.
And this where the secret of the show’s success is revealed. Former dancer and choreographer Robert North has created a style of movement that is both simplistic and expressive yet at the same time full of character and charm.
The Boy last Wednesday was obviously a lad of an enthusiastic nature
Imagine having to invest a “thing” covered from head to foot in a white furry skin, with human feelings and reactions with never a glimpse of a face, the natural focal point of a human being. So convincing is North’s belief in his creation that the audience applauds at each step of The Snowman’s development. You cannot argue when surrounded by such involvement.
The Boy takes his new found friend on a trip round his home. The fridge offers a suitable venue for some playful bumps and grinds while the pretty ballerina on top of the music box (Tomoyo Tanimoto Jequier) comes gracefully alive.
North’s nod towards The Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland are affectionate tributes not vulgar plagiarism so a yellow motorbike seems almost inevitable. Hand in hand the couple take to the air and during the interval arrive at the North Pole.
Penguins, badgers bananas, not to mention the baby reindeer and Father Christmas all join in the fun. Even naughty Jack Frost (Domenico Ramelli) reveals a heart of gold. But it’s the bears who have all the fun. There’s the Cowboy, Fred Astaire, Chinese and Scotty, to name but a few, and as I remarked earlier, all utterly irresistible.
THE SNOWMAN at the PEACOCK THEATRE, LONDON WC2 (Tickets 0844 412 4300/peacocktheatre.com; £15 - 36