The Snow Queen at The Old Rep

On the day that Frozen II was released it seemed appropriate to shun the hype of Hollywood and instead head to The Old Rep in Birmingham for their performance of ‘The Snow Queen’. Although it is only the end of November, we were ready for some early Christmas indulgence. After having a mooch around Birmingham’s Frankfurt Market, including a hot chocolate for Little Lady and a very garlicky lunch, we were in the mood to wander over to the theatre and sit back to enjoy Hans Christian Anderson’s classic story of how two children overcame the evil Snow Queen and her trolls. What better way to get into the season of winter!

The Old Rep’s interpretation told the story of two friends, Gerda and Kai, who had been forbidden by their parents from spending time with each other because their families were different to each other. The production explored the theme of ‘otherness’ and how friendship can overcome many of the prejudices that we see in society. The strong moral message was portrayed alongside a great storyline, wonderful characters and cleaver use of scenery and props.

Our favourite character was Hader, one of the Snow Queen’s trolly minions, who had a secret crush on her. In his desire to impress his boss and become the Snow King, he found himself dressing up as a little girl and a hilarious Swedish woodcutter so as to try to thwart Kai’s determination not to become prejudiced as he grew up and Gerda’s heroic efforts to save her friend from the Snow Queen’s magic.

The main characters were supported by a cast from the Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA), a group of talented actors and actresses, dancers and singers. Whilst they were clearly enjoying the performance, as were some of their friends who had come to support them, they were very professional in their approach and a real credit to BOA.

This is a wonderful show for children and adults to head to as winter sets in with the promise of family fun and a great story. It got us in the mood for the coming weeks leading up to Christmas as well as providing us with some time to allow our lunch of German sausage and fried potatoes to settle down! A great family day out.

The Snow Queen runs at Birmingham’s Old Rep Theatre until 30^th December. General tickets start from £18. On Friday 20^thDecember at 1.30pm, if you have pre-school children, you can go for the bargain price of £15 for one adult and one child. This special performance promises to be more relaxed.

For more information:

https://www.oldreptheatre.co.uk/calendar/?calid=1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12&pid=3&viewid=1&event=185

Special thanks to The Old Rep for inviting us along to review the show.

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