one4review | On 11, Aug 2016

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen is a classic tale of love conquering all. To tell the story of Gerda’s quest to be reunited with her frozen-hearted best friend Kay, this group used a combination of on stage action, shadow puppets, and live music.

The cast of six were able to play multiple characters when needed, using colourful costume accessories to show their new role each time – my particular favourite being the enchanted garden.

There are plenty of magical characters to enjoy – talking ravens, singing flowers and a helpful reindeer, as well as a princess, and a robber.

This example of the charming story suffered from problems with pace. Not only was it slow, at times, but a lot of story seemed to be told, via the guitarist singing, rather than shown to us. Lovers of this particular classic will still enjoy it, but younger children would struggle to maintain their attention.
**
Reviewed by Gill
Gilded Balloon at the Museum
To 28th Aug (not 16th) 13:00 – 14:15