Slava’s Snowshow

Royal Festival Hall

Reviewed – 18th December 2017

★★★★

“the audience is transported into a joyous dreamlike world of innocence”

With the run into Christmas in its last week, the thought of what entertainment to choose over the holiday break is a dilemma high on the minds of many. Amongst the various options are – should it be a pantomime visit, a trip to London to see a West End show or indeed some other kind of stage performance?

One that fits nicely into the latter category and currently being staged at the Royal Festival Hall, located at the heart of the Southbank Centre, is Slava’s Snowshow. This multi-award winning international sensation makes a welcome three week return to the venue.

Snowshow has enchanted and empowered the imagination of worldwide audiences since 1993 and has an original and magical feel about it for both children and adults. There are no words but the show has a mix of noises, vibrant colours, great music, laugh out loud moments and stunning stage effects.

It features a troupe of lovable clowns, each having their own character and the audience is transported into a joyous dreamlike world of innocence, magic, fun and amazement. It is simple yet complex, funny with sadness, calm but also adrenaline inducing.

This magical, mesmerising production has been brilliantly honed over the years and is a pure spectacle that reminds us that nobody is ever too old to enjoy clowns. Indeed we experience the true art of the clown – they are able to bring a smile with merely a shrug of the shoulder. A lump is brought to the throat when one interacts with an overcoat, a simple yet memorable moment.

It is very difficult to define the genre of this show but there are certainly nods to Charlie Chaplin. There are several unforgettable moments – the web that covers the audience, the wonderful breath-taking snow scene and the finale with the giant ‘slow motion’ balls – a joy to be part of.

The set is basic but the space is used well and the cast appears to enjoy the event as much as the audience. There is impressive use of lighting and also sound, though this may be a little overpowering for some young children. The soundtrack itself is catchy and the tunes remain in the mind long after leaving the show. It seemed to the observer that most people left the theatre with a smile on their face.

It could be described as a show that you will either fall in love with or leave thinking ‘what was that all about?’. Overall though, I found this be be a quite amazing evening that has certainly thawed my usual Christmas grumpiness and is an event I would encourage anyone to see. In fact I may just well pop back again before the run finishes in early January.

Reviewed by Steve Sparrow

Photography by V Vial

Slava’s Snowshow

is at the Royal Festival Hall until 4th January

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