Sparkling Christmas theatre show comes with a helping of magic
High up on the list of my fondest Christmas memories - and it's a very long list! - is watching Raymond Briggs' The Snowman on TV, listening to Aled Jones sing that beautiful air (about, er, air).
Since then, I've faithfully bought a copy of the book for every small person I know come Christmas. And this week I took one of those small people, my god-daughter Sarah, to see The Snowman at Sadler's Wells Peacock theatre. Honestly, it was hard to say who was the most excited.
It may have been our first time to see it, but this is the West End's longest running family Christmas show, now in its 14th year. It's a dance piece but accessible enough for small children, there were children as young as 3 in the audience, all moved to shout 'no'man' when the little boy's snowman comes to life. There's plenty of laughs - a nice nod to the original as the boy and snowman surf TV channels at the start and shrug their shoulders dismissively when they flick onto Aled Jones singing 'Walking in the air'.
The music is great, the set enchanting - particularly the snowscenes and snowfalls - and it has the one ingredient you need for a show that brings together Christmas, The Snowman and children - magic. And the most magical moment of all is when the snowman and little boy first take flight on Christmas Eve on their adventure to a land of a beautiful princess, dancing penguins, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, reindeers and of course the big man in red himself who earned another gasp of approval from the small people in the audience.
But the last word goes to Sarah. What did she think? 'My hands hurt from clapping,' she said as the curtain came down. Says it all really.
The Birmingham Repertory Theatre Production of The Snowman is at The Peacock Theatre, Portugal St, London WC2A 2HT, until January 8 2012; tickets £12 - £32, family ticket £95 (for 4, must include at least 1 child); phone 0844 412 4322, www.sadlerswells.com
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