Last night was one of those magical nights. You know the kind that takes you back to childhood memories of magical Christmases past. Joe and I nipped to Manchester to watch The Snowman at the Opera House.
To say I was giddy is a totally understatement, I LOVE the Snowman. It’s a film that I have sat down to watch on Christmas Eve since I was 6. Even the theme tune gives me goosebumps. It feels like part of my fabric, something that even as I got into my teens (because I knew it all and was super cool) I still sat down to watch.
Joe is just going into that cool stage, where admitting to liking anything that could be seen to be linked to childhood is strictly uncool. Yet still he agreed to come along with me. As we enjoyed a pre show dinner I felt a little nervous of the show not meeting my expectations. Do you ever feel that? When you love something so much you don’t want to be let down. Whether it’s a movie from a book or a show from a favourite film. I always feel those nerves.
But let me tell you; The Snowman is blooming incredible, it’s a magical feast of spectacular festiveness, that had me grinning from ear to ear throughout the whole show.
Now I am no theatre critic, I can only speak of what I see and how I enjoy and show. I am a lover of the theatre, of shows of all kinds of genres. Which qualifies me to talk what I love as a theatre goer.
“Featuring a dazzling array of colourful characters including dancing penguins, magical reindeer, a beautiful Snow Princess, her wicked beau Jack Frost and, of course, Father Christmas himself, The Snowman is a Christmas treat for all the family and a perfect introduction to theatre and dance for the very young.”
All the staging was simply beautiful and from curtain rise I felt immersed in Christmas and all things snow. Within moments Joe was complaining at the lack of speaking, however in no time at all he was as involved in the story as I.
The magic of the snow falling and stunning music kept our eyes glued to the stage, not once did my mind wander from the beautiful scenes, this is damn near impossible for me as my family can vouch. However I felt although I was caught up in a magical festive spell that kept me glued to the set.
When the snowman first appeared, I thought it rather odd, but only seconds later it had taken the form of its TV counterpart and felt as close to the movie as it could possible be. And Cameron James Sutherland playing the boy was wonderful.
The costumes were incredible, making the woodland animals and snowmen so endearing and believable to say they were all over 5ft tall. Yet still it felt part of the most wonderful creative journey.
The Snowman is a show for all the family
Kids will love the true magic of seeing the story unfold under and the lightness and brightness of the wonderful staging, whilst adults and teens enjoy the technical triumphs, such as the snow and flying scenes. I nearly cried when they started flying!
And the magic of the staging that brought back wonderful magical memories. Yet it felt like it had its own authentic life with a few additional scenes that had the audience laughing along. If I had to describe the show as a whole, I would say it is a cross between a show and a ballet that has the right amount of magic to engage everyone.
As we drove home, me feeling all fuzzy and warm like I had just enjoyed the biggest warmest hug, Joe looked at me and said actually that was really good. Coming from a teen, that is indeed praise.
The Snowman is running at the Opera House through to Sunday 12 November 2017.
Book now at www.atgtickets.com/Manchester or by calling the box office on 0844 871 3018, this is the perfect way to kick off the festive season. And with tickets from £15 it’s such great value
And click here to see what Colette and Jenny think.
