★★★★

“playful, spectacular and touching”

One Christmas Eve, a young boy’s snowman comes to life and takes him on a journey to the North Pole. The Snowman is a transfixing dance show for all ages in celebration of visual storytelling and Christmas enchantment. In its 27th festive season at the Peacock Theatre, Birmingham Rep’s iconic Christmas show continues to awake childhood nostalgia and childlike wonder.

Take caution. You will have the feature song ‘Walking In The Air’ (Howard Blake) stuck in your head, but the kids love it and so will you! Have a mulled wine and tis the season.

Based on the book by Raymond Briggs and its 1982 film adaptation directed by Dianne Jackson, this performance uses clowning, masks, and ballet to bring the storybook adventure to life. Curtain up and we are introduced to a young boy who wakes up to the joyful discovery that it has snowed. He races outside to build a snowman where he is joined by processions of Christmas carollers and teenagers having snowball fights. This constant flow of familiar characters across the stage makes the world feel ‘real’ at the very top of the show, thus making the gradual reveal of ‘magic’ even more immersive.

The ballet is gorgeous (Robert North) and even more impressive when performed by dancers in giant animal costumes with crafted heads (Robert Allsop) reminding us of Disneyland characters. However, if you are afraid of clowns this might be one to skip. As the snowman is completed and comes to life, his stiff smile and black holes for eyes is slightly creepy. The continuous giggling of kids in the audience may say otherwise. Despite the mask, the snowman’s physicality presents him as a dumb but lovable animation sidekick. He moves with steady and heavy steps, acts the fool, makes fumbles but indulges the young boy’s requests – even stealing a motorcycle. He is Winnie-the-Pooh as a dancing snowman.

Ruari Murchison’s concave design of the stage’s proscenium frame reminds us of the Looney Tunes “That’s All Folks” closing screen, reinforcing the episodic structure of the performance. Each scene holds its own space as a sketch or cartoon which at times quickly overlap for a smooth transition, keeping you (and the kids) spellbound throughout the performance.

It is clear that under the superb direction of Bill Alexander, Birmingham Rep really took their time exploring how to best reimagine iconic moments from the 1982 film to the stage. A standout moment is the scene where the snowman discovers the light switch in the kitchen. Here, a five second moment in the film is transformed into a one-minute comedic transition between scenes that sees the snowman dancing to strobing lights. When we reach the North Pole, the stage adaptation delivers surprises to expand the story from the film. Not only do we meet Father Christmas, his reindeer and other enchanted snowmen, but also a snow queen and a mysterious deviant who might not be a friend to our darling snowman. A welcome pantomime twist that promises some laughs and suspense.

The stage version of The Snowman captures the essence of the animated film whilst making room for comedy, dance and story development with the addition of characters we recognise from other beloved Christmas tales or our own lives. At times playful, spectacular and touching, we are transported to a world that feels both familiar and wonderstruck. The Snowman is magic.

GOING FOR GOLD at Park Theatre

★★★★

“A gripping and heartfelt true story”

Based on a true story, Going for Gold is a moving retrospective about a British boxing champion’s greatest triumphs and losses, told from the ringside perspective of the woman who loved him.

Yes, there is boxing onstage and you will hear the Rocky theme.

Written by Lisa Lintott, Going for Gold tells the story of two-time National ABA and Commonwealth Games 1974 middleweight champion, Frankie Lucas (Jazz Lintott). Frankie came to London from Saint Vincent as part of the Windrush generation, and we first meet him as a nine-year-old when he joins a boxing club in Croydon. As he trots off, a woman enters and addresses the audience: “I’m not his mother”. This is Gene (Llewella Gideon), who fell in love with Frankie when they were both teenagers and soon after gave birth to their son, Michael (Daniel Francis-Swaby). The immediate break of the fourth wall and the age difference between the actors portraying Gene (50s) and Frankie (30s) tells us that this play is Gene’s memory of her long-term boxer boyfriend. She is our narrator, with Gideon showcasing a natural gravitas that compels the spectator. The play showcases highlights and challenges from Frankie’s life. He valiantly fights against systemic racism to build his sporting legacy in 70s England, but at the expense of his family.

The stage design (Erin Guan) is symbolic of Frankie’s battles outside the boxing ring. We see a living room to the left, a gym office to the right and a boxing ring in the middle. In the left corner is Gene, urging Frankie to come home to see Michael. In the right corner is Frankie’s trainer George (Nigel Boyle), who also urges him to go home to his “missus and son”. In the middle is Frankie whose hunger for success turns into self-sabotaging paranoia. As boxer and trainer, Lintott and Boyle make a fabulous pair. Boyle is exceptional, finding a cool balance between being a stern coach and supportive brother figure. Lintott sometimes struggles with the Saint Vincent accent, but he commands attention with a suave presence and spectacular comedic timing.

The stellar collaboration of the creative team shines during the boxing matches. The play covers Frankie’s greatest fights from 1971 to 1980, executed with excellent movement direction by David Gilbert and fight choreography from Rupert Charmak. What makes the fights impressive, is the clever use of cinematic devices onstage. Here, a knockout is shown in slow-motion, supported by foley boxing sounds (Lo Wu) and strobe lighting (Cheng Keng). A cut-away shot is recreated by jumping between the stage and the projector. The projector shows us archival footage of the real Frankie Lucas fighting in the ring. Lights come on, and we see Frankie falling onto his corner stool onstage. This allows the audience to become immersed in both the public spectacle of boxing and the private moments between boxer and trainer.

The play’s only real issue comes at the end. Frankie and Michael have a conversation that rushes to get key plot points across to the audience before the ending. The unnatural pace (which is at odds with Philip J Morris and Xanthus’ otherwise spot on direction) prevents the moment from having the emotional impact the play seeks in the final scene. Despite this, the story has a satisfying ending. The show’s star is Llewella Gideon who seamlessly navigates between being present onstage and addressing the audience, thus delivering a stunning performance.

A gripping and heartfelt true story about a boxer who was forgotten by history but championed by his family, Going for Gold makes for an insightful and exciting evening at the theatre.

THE SNOWMAN at the Peacock Theatre

★★★★

“playful, spectacular and touching”

THE SNOWMAN at the Peacock Theatre

Reviewed on 23rd November 2024

by Lara van Huyssteen

Photography by Tristram Kenton

Previously reviewed at Sadler’s Wells venues:

THE SNOWMAN

THE SNOWMAN

GOING FOR GOLD at Park Theatre

★★★★

“A gripping and heartfelt true story”

GOING FOR GOLD at Park Theatre

Reviewed on 12th November 2024

by Lara van Huyssteen

Photography by James Potter

Previously reviewed at this venue:

GOING FOR GOLD

GOING FOR GOLD

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