Claire Dargo in The Snow Queen at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Picture: Jess Shurte
The Snow Queen continues at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until 31 December 2023.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of friendship and good overcoming evil has been interpreted many times. This is a magical retelling of the beloved book, brought to the stage via Morna Young’s astounding writing talent, combined with Finn Anderson’s glorious score under Cora Bissett’s assured direction within the stunning setting designed by Emily James.
From Wendy Seager’s haunting opening soliloquy, the audience is spellbound. As the tale of the trolls breaking a mirror into pieces is played out by shadow puppets upstage, the set begins to appear – a mirrored image of the Lyceum Theatre’s auditorium is revealed as we begin to find out what happened after the magical mirror was broken and its shards are embedded in the Queen of the Winter, turning her into the worst bad being, destroying nature’s balance.
As we join our heroine, Gerda, on the rooftop in Edinburgh we also meet her best friend, Kei, in their shared care of a single red rose in full bloom, defying winter. The rapport between Rosie Graham and Sebastian Lim-Seet is adorable – convincingly young, beautifully matched voices that blend most pleasingly. Young’s ‘Auld Edinburgh’ is characterised both in the spoken word and lyrics. In the terrific song ‘Nobody Looks Up Anymore’, Anderson’s music conveys the youngsters’ love for their place beautifully.
In her quest for eternal winter, The Snow Queen has captured four of the five seeds of spring. Thinking Kei holds the missing seed, she impales his heart and head with shards of glass, spiriting him away to her palace. Claire Dargo is a mightily impressive Snow Queen, particularly when she stands strong and menacing. Terrific singing that is crystal clear and a look that screams Snow Queen is superbly satisfying. Her foil is the Corbie (Scots word for crow) with massive attitude and comic timing; Samuel Pashby pulls together a hugely enjoyable character – his heavy metal keyboard romp is crazy and packed with attitude.
Indeed, many of the cast play instruments along with a multitude of roles. The entire show is a triumph of ensemble work. Every character is clearly defined by the actors – the speed of many of the costume changes is lightning-fast. The story follows Gerda on her journey north to rescue Kei where she meets a range of characters in different places on the road. The story is told at a cracking pace, filled to the brim with hilarious jokes and fantastic songs.
On the way, we meet a garden of assertive flowers with separate characters and distinctive voices; warrior ‘quines’ who teach Gerda to sword fight; a spell at sea and meeting Hamish – the last unicorn in Scotland. Richard Conlon’s Hamish is camp as a row of tents, talks non-stop and is absolutely hilarious. The singing of his anthem: “I’m a horse with a horn/I’m a unicorn” has the audience in stitches. Bit of a show-stealing part, or it could be if the other performers were not as strong.
Seager is barely off stage in a showcase performance as Kei’s granny, May; The Seer (full of stillness and mysticism); Flora who tends the singing flowers; and Agnes – the leader of the warrior women. Aside from being the grandfather to Gerda, Antony Strachan plays a troll, a tulip, a warrior and a Hagrid-like Wise King. He also plays guitar frequently.
The other cast members – Naomi Stirrat, Kieran Andrew, Robin Campbell and Yana Harris – play a huge range of characters along with instruments. Mention must be made of Shonagh Murray whose musical direction is excellent, balancing both on and offstage musicians is not easy. Singing performances are also outstanding.
Gerda’s story is clearly told and her character wins the hearts of not only every character on stage, but the audience too. There’s a surprisingly tender moment that draws a wee tear towards the end of the adventure – a delicate balance with the hilarity from start to finish.
Perfect Christmas treat for all – a truly magical show that delights throughout.
Fiona Orr
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