The Ottawa Citizen says:
Dress warmly and prepare to be wonderstruck by brilliant outdoor play.
Romantic! Magical! Irresistible! This review of The Snow Show is going to sound as if I work in the promotion department for English Theatre at the National Arts Centre. I don't, of course. I'm paid by the Citizen to be a disinterested observer. Well, this disinterested observer was wonderstruck by The Snow Show: East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, a fairy tale presented in the snowy Arboretum at the Experimental Farm. This miracle of a show was a long time in the making. About 10 years ago, in the Okanagan Valley, the Caravan Farm Theatre Company discovered that presenting a play outside in winter heightens the experience, even if your feet do get cold. With each successive year, the troupe has been perfecting the formula that dazzles crowds. The story usually involves an epic journey, the audience is transported from stage to stage on horse-drawn sleighs, and there is music, rich costumes, superior production values and an obsessive attention to detail.
Peter Hinton, the always-inspired artistic director of the NAC's English Theatre, thought the Snow Show just might be a happy addition to Ottawa's Winterlude. He was right, because all the tickets were snapped up quickly. If you aren't one of the lucky ones, you can only hope a way will be found to add a few more performances, or that the NAC will repeat this resounding success next year.
East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon is the story of Hannah, a fearless young heroine of the type usually found in fairy tales, and her fiance, a typical polar-bear-by-day, handsome-prince-by-night. As adapted by Amiel Gladstone, this Norwegian bedtime story is told with humour and an easy, folksy charm. The first two scenes are fairly conventional. The audience sits on stacked hay bales for the opener, and then takes a short walk to wooden bleachers to view the polar bear prince's castle. When Hannah's bear/man is kidnapped by a troll and taken to a faraway land, she decides to rescue him and break the curse. That's when the horses arrive and the magic begins. Boarding sleighs, the audience joins Hannah on her quest, following her from one strange tableau to the next and meeting strange characters played with verve by a talented cast.
Jennifer Brewin, a veteran of Caravan Theatre who is now an artistic associate at the NAC, directs with the seeming ease that experience brings. Songs, composed in Norwegian by Karin Randoja, masks and costumes by Marina Szijarto, lighting by Martin Conboy and sets by Estelle Shook all add to the mythic quality of the production.
Manon St. Jules is winning as Hannah. Christie Watson as the prince is handsome and heroic. There is superb comic work by Ben Meuser as the World's Oldest Birdfeeder and the Troll Princess. The irascible Paul Rainville delights as Hannah's father, the World's Oldest Cowpoke and a fisherman named Bob. Kelly McIntosh is strong as the World's Oldest Lifeguard and the Troll Queen.
Most impressive of all are the stilt walkers, dressed in flowing robes and wearing head pieces adorned with lights, who do a stately dance in the snow. Knowing that Laura Astwood worked six months with a group of theatre students to make this scene possible does nothing to detract from the marvel.
The Snow Show is a wonderful experience for families with children aged about four and up. Dress for the temperature and then add an extra layer to keep out the chill that comes from sitting still. A blanket to sit on and wrap around your knees is also a good idea.
The Snow Show continues at the Experimental Farm throughout Winterlude. All tickets are sold out.
Catherine Lawson, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, February 05, 2007
