The Peacock Theatre is a modern theatre, which puts on many children’s shows. It is a friendly and fun place, but it doesn’t have the atmosphere of other, older theatres with beautiful architecture and decoration, though I liked the environmentally friendly loos and recycling facilities.
I went to see the stage show of The Snowman, which is based on the book by Raymond Briggs and the cartoon film by Dianne Jackson, which is shown every Christmas on TV. The Snowman is the story of one boy’s adventure with a snowman, who one night magically comes to life. The pair have all sorts of adventures, and famously fly to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas and the other magic snowmen.
As soon as I entered the auditorium and saw the set I knew I was in for a treat. The lighting was particularly effective, mimicking the dim of winter and creating a wonderful atmosphere. I liked the set, particularly the way you could see inside the boy’s house and outside at the same time. I also loved some of the props, especially the train set in the boy’s house and the snow which came down on to the audience at the very end, which was a really magical moment. The costumes were good too, particularly the snowmen, who looked really cuddly!
The cast was great, especially the snowman who moved brilliantly, just as you would imagine a snowman would move, and the little boy. I thought the actor was really brave to stand up and perform in front of so many people.
The show was really a ballet – there was no speaking, just movement and dance to live music, quite similar to the book and TV cartoon versions in a way. This helped to create a slightly unreal feel and made it a very gentle show, suitable for all ages, especially very little children. The story transferred to stage well, and was faithful to the original, but also different enough to make it its own thing as well. There were some new characters who don’t appear in the book or TV cartoon – the Ice Princess, some of the animals, the carol singers, and Jack Frost. Having the music performed live really added to the magical atmosphere, and I couldn’t stop singing and whistling the famous “Walking in the Air” tune on the way home!