Peacock Theatre, London.
22 November 2025.
The lights lowered on an excited audience of children and families whilst Howard Blake’s instantly recognisable Snowman piano theme tune filled the auditorium, and the snowy lighting effect set the wintry ambience.
Robert North has choreographed a beautifully enchanting retelling of the story through dance and mime in Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s The Snowman, remaining faithful to the iconic picture book by Raymond Briggs, yet sprinkled with fresh injections of drama and dance for the stage.
Quite a slow start when the curtain rose, but not a poor choice as there was so much detail in the gorgeous magical set for young audiences to take in. The door to the house was central with a curved staircase leading to the Boy’s bedroom overhead. Snow laden trees curved in towards the centre of the stage on either side. The Boy lay sleeping for the first few moments, before awakening excited to see the heavy overnight snowfall.
The young actor, played by Henry Treharne at this afternoon’s performance, oozed expressive charm by the bucketload. On stage for the majority of the show, he never dropped his level of excitement. There were some clever Christmassy moments including carol singers outside the Boy’s home, who sang live and played instruments. The Boy rolled also a snowball back and forth across the stage which grew dramatically and then, shielded by the villagers, transformed into the Snowman.
The over-sized house furniture was perfect from a child’s perception, especially the large red armchair into which the Snowman settled comfortably, with the Boy perched on the arm. The many visual props were stunning and fantastically well thought out. The classic scene in the parent’s bedroom was a winner; the Snowman tried on false teeth, dad’s trousers and braces, with mum’s fancy hat and perfume inducing a giant sneeze and a fast exit. In the playroom, a soldier/dancer marched from behind the huge toy drum, a life size teddy bear offered a hug, and the Boy knelt to wind up the over-sized musical box – and out came a real-life ballet dancer! The Snowman taking Dad’s motorbike for a spin was very popular, with the Boy in the sidecar waving his arms and covering his eyes as they rode across the stage, off stage and back on again, dodging dancers dressed as endearing woodland animals as they did so.
It felt absolutely right that the production’s director Bill Alexander had not modernised all of Brigg’s sweet, ageless story with its time-defining depiction of parents of the late 1970s, early 1980s, as seeming older than their years. Dad was puffed out chasing after the excited Boy coming in from the snow and sat on the sofa with his paper and cigar, while mum took him off to bed.
The flying of the Snowman and the Boy was spine-tingling and emotional, backed by the famous song “Walking in the Air”. Henry Treharne again kept it magical for the young audience with his wide-eyed expressions and enthusiastic waving – returned by many little hands – whilst high above the stage holding hands with the Snowman.
The enchantment continued as they landed in the snowy woods and other snowmen began to appear, as well as comical penguins, who bumped their bellies together to plenty of giggles. Father Christmas arrived on his sleigh, and the atmosphere was full of warmth, despite the chilly setting!
The music box dancer also played the Ice Princess who became a gentle love interest for the Snowman, played so energetically (it must be exhausting inside those giant suits!) today by Jonathon Milton, as the two performed a pas de deux together in the snow.
The eventual melting of the Snowman at the end caused loud tears from a younger audience member, and gentle laughter from adults in the audience. Touchingly handled and portrayed on stage, the Boy pulled out the scarf he’d been given from Father Christmas and smiled wistfully at the memory. The cast picked up the speed again and performed a fun jig as part of their bows. A thoroughly magical afternoon.
By Louise Ryrie of Dance Informa.
