Amy and Tom Milne review The Snow Queen at Theatre N16

Getting festive at Theatre N16, The Snow Queen is a delightful new take on Hans Christian Anderson. Adapted and directed by Tatty Hennessy with co-direction by Scott Ellis, whether you’re a Frozen fan or not, it is sure to leave a smile on the faces of kids and adults alike.

Our hero Greta (Jessica Arden) is worried that her brother, Kay, has been acting mean lately. She befriends a talking crow that explains the ice queen has kidnapped her real brother and left a grumpy clone in his place. All they need to do is fly to the ice palace and get him back! This fairytale adventure is filled with jokes, excitement and heartfelt moments, and it isn’t without a moral. The Christmas message isn’t heavy-handed though, touching on themes of positive thinking and loving people for who they are.

Starting in a small attic space with audience members packed tightly around the performance area, it wasn’t long before we were whisked away on a journey through an artic wonderland culminating in a showdown at the ice palace. Simple but effective set design is brought to life by excellent performances from the three cast members and they all do a fantastic job in allowing your imagination to create the scene. Special mention for James Tobin whose skills in bringing the crow to life made me honestly forget he was operating a puppet, and I found myself connecting with the crow’s character and laughing at his jokes, some of the best I’ve seen in a Christmas children’s show.

The children in the audience genuinely loved it, and while the show is probably best enjoyed by primary school children, I dare anyone to not feel Christmassy after seeing this show.

Amy and Tom Milne

The Snow Queen runs at Theatre N16 until 22nd December 2016.

A little bit about Theatre N16:

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company founded by young people, for young people. It is London’s newest fringe venue, and is dedicated to creating a creative hub where new and existing works can be explored and pushed into new realms. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating without a hire fee for external companies. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for development within the context of a society in which the arts are increasingly struggling to stay afloat.