As The Snowman is a kids Christmas ballet, I took my adorable 4 year old niece to a matinee performance at the Peacock Theatre on a frosty Saturday, to really see the ballet through the eyes of the young audience.
The Snowman performed by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre drew a full house of families and young children all eager to see their favourite storybook come to life. It was great to see the auditorium turned into a buggy park and so many youngsters and their parents coming to the theatre.
I was a little worried that the 2 hour show was going to be too long for my little niece and I imagined having to leave after 30 minutes when her attention wained. But that certainly didn’t happen as The Snowman captivated her and every other young child from the beginning right to the very end.
They were all completely mesmerised and entertained by the impressive snowy sets, the delightful characters, the orchestral music and the retelling of the classic children’s tale through dancing and acting.
My niece loved the animals, the music, the ballerina and seeing father Xmas dancing in his bright red suit. Seeing the snowman and the little boy flying around the stage was quite the wow factor for the little eyes. And like all the kids, she fell in love with the Snowman and was so upset when at the end he melted and thrilled when he reappeared all fluffy and white.
During the interval my niece said ‘When’s the next song?’, as she jumped around recreating the movements she’d seen performed. Throughout the show her eyes almost never left the stage as she gasped, laughed and sat up to get a better view of the dancing penguins, the crazy dancing fruit and the bad Jack Frost that everyone boo’ed.
There wasn’t a moment where the kids were bored and it was great to see some good calibre of dancing, so they could get their first glimpse of some ballet moves, especially from the real-life ballerina who sparkled in her pointe shoes.
The boundless joy of The Snowman carried through to the finale that saw the entire theatre clapping and cheering as snow fell from the ceiling, making all the kids jump out of their seats squealing in delight as they caught snow in their tiny little hands.
Watching my niece and the other children have so much fun at the ballet was quite special. I would highly recommend The Snowman for a magical Xmas family treat!
Tickets start at £18 – buy here.
Reviewed on 24 November at Peacock Theatre.