Review: The Snow Queen at Unity Theatre, Liverpool

Dec 3 2009 Chester Chronicle

THE SNOW QUEEN/Unity Theatre, Liverpool, until January 23

REVIEW/by Arianna Vaccaro

THE Unity Theatre has been entertaining Christmas theatre goers for 21 years and this year The Show Queen is being performed in Liverpool.

Directed and composed by Patrick Dineen, the theatre has collaborated with LIPA and Hope Street Ltd for this interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytale.

On opening night, after visiting the visual spectacular of the “Winter Wonderland” space in the Unity building, I made my way into the packed theatre.

I did not know what to expect, knowing that the Unity usually try to take an original look at classic tales and I certainly was met with a unique show, unlike any other pantomime I have seen before.

In this adaptation, the audience follows Gerda, played by Lauren Silver as she battles temptation and obstacles in her struggle to rescue her friend Kai, played by Jamie Stuart. Kai has been captured by the Snow Queen, Rosie McLaughlin who returns to the Unity after appearing as Princess Rosalind in The Tinkerbox in 2006.

Most of the action followed Gerda’s journey and so the Snow Queen does not have a very active part. However, when disguised as a crow in the forest, Rosie is very entertaining and convincing when trying to trick Gerda. She is also successful in her portrayal of the manipulative Snow Queen in her play acting as a vulnerable victim to Kai.

The journey is achieved by the use of lighting and sound which works very well. Music also plays a large part of this as we see Gerda meet different people along the way.

The most successful character is Freddie the Polar Bear played by Lucy Fiori, who spends his time searching for “fishes.” This character provides the most memorable scenes and received the loudest laughs from the audience. The children especially enjoyed Freddie’s songs and allusions to “fishy heaven.” Filipo Fiori is equally strong as Wizard Screeb and the control freak theatre owner.

A mention must go to Graeme Skingle for set design and Phil Saunders for lighting design. Dream sequences and simultaneous locations were achieved by using light on a translucent screen which was located above the main stage area. This was often where the Snow Queen would be seen and I could not help but think of it acting as a type of crystal ball symbol.

Gone were the expected invitations from the cast for the audience to point out “he’s behind you,” but the interaction with the public was still there. A youngster was invited onto the stage at one stage and through clever camera techniques (reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii), he was able to see his own reflection in the magic mirror. Surely this is something that would prove fascinating with children and adults alike.

Renowned children’s playwright and dramaturg Mike Kenny is successful in focusing on the importance of friendship in the performance. However my only criticism is that at times there are too many interruptions to Gerda’s journey with so many different characters along the way. This happens with snap shots of what is happening at the Snow Queen’s Palace and perhaps the younger children may get a bit confused.

Nevertheless the costumes will not fail to disappoint. Designed by Laura Hollowell, they are ideally suited to the Bulgarian inspired song and represent a strong tradition against the backdrop of the unconventional set and dialogue.

Overall, I left the theatre thoroughly entertained and with the feeling I had just witnessed something unique. If you want to see something which breaks monotonous pantomime conventions but still focuses on music and humour then take the family to see The Snow Queen. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Tickets are available from unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.