The current cold snap provides an atmospheric setting for Wrongsemble’s The Snow Queen. The canal along which Waterside Arts is sited is frozen and flakes of snow are in the air. Inside the theatre, there is a warm welcome—the exhibition Scene on Screen by Cosgrove Hall Films offers a fascinating insight into the animation process for children’s television and makes it well worth arriving early at the venue.
During the festive season, theatres are full of pantos recycling old pop songs and even older jokes in a well-worn formula. Wrongsemble, however, opts for a charming parable on the theme of environmental awareness.
Richard Priestley plays The Snow Queen with the emphasis on the word ‘queen’. A bearded, camp diva who prefers to be addressed as ‘Madge’, they have become jaded by the excesses of humankind and decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In response to society’s indifference about global warming, the Snow Queen refuses to allow snow to fall. However, Lumi (Amy Tara), a Greta Thunberg-style heroine, is the sort of child who never stops asking questions and has a bee in her bonnet about why snow is not falling.
Molly Grace Cutler plays Lumi’s mum and all other characters in the show with some highly comedic accents. She articulates the theme of the show by advising her daughter small actions can generate big results and encourages her to write to the Snow Queen and ask why snow is not falling. When letters do not get a response, Lumi sets out to question the Snow Queen in person and, along the way, instructs characters she encounters (and the audience) on the benefits of recycling, energy conservation and the of quitting unrewarding employment.
Elvi Piper’s script is so 'woke' as to arouse apoplexy among Daily Mail readers. The characters instinctively refer to the Snow Queen as ‘they’. Yet the environmental viewpoint is conveyed in a light-hearted manner, less by lecturing than by ridiculing modern-day excessive use of electronic devices and the tendency to horde rather than recycle. The approach is enhanced by the double act of Amy Tara and Molly Grace Cutler, one relentlessly perky and the other more wary.
The songs in the show are original numbers composed by Rosie Fox rather than covers. Instead of being limited to guitars and keyboard, the company ambitiously branch out with a touch of hip-hop as a polar bear bemoans his shrinking ice lair.
The non -traditional approach means child-pleasing "He’s behind you" moments are absent. Director Piper compensates, and makes good use of the intimate venue, with Richard Priestley entering in grand style down the aisle graciously waving to the audience. Jokes about the unintentionally demoralising impact of ‘inspirational’ workplace announcements are included instead of the ‘saucy’ material often used in pantos to retain the interest of adults in the audience.
Wrongsemble’s The Snow Queen is a refreshing change from the festive norm.