Reviewed by Chloe
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
“A shared laughter, joy and wonder with this captivating hilarious show”
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Photo by Veronique Vial |
The Russian performance artist, Vyacheslav Ivanovich Polunin PAR, goes by the name of “Slava” and is the creator of this imaginative show, setting out to create a fusion of drama and tragic comedy which he certainly achieves. He makes his appearance as one of two clowns, dressed in yellow, and recognisable as a clown with the infamous red nose and large feet. However, the anticipated atmosphere that is usually experienced when a clown enters the stage was not as expected. It was dark and depressing and caused one young member of the audience to cry out, “Oh No, he’s really sad”. We were then introduced to 6 clowns, dressed in drab green coats, feet three times too long and comically wide caps which caused them to tilt their heads as they walked so as tonot hit each other. Nonetheless, it didn’t stay gloomy for long and we were taken on a journey of emotion both on and off stage, and by the finale the whole audience was laughinghysterically, bonded by the shenanigans that we experienced.
During the first half we were taken on a dreamy journey of a bed being used as a boat, sailing through the ocean, a stage full of bubbles whilst we got to know the characters, and a comical dying scene of a clown having been hit by an arrow. The acting ability by all on stage is remarkable. The ability to use tiny movements captured our attention and the whole audience was enthralled. Just an eyebrow raised, the turn of the head or a small jump had us giggling in our seats.
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Photo by Andrea Lopez |
The striking portrayal of emotion with just one actor on stage is moving. In one scene we met a soulful clown who opened a suitcase and took out a lady’s coat and hat which he placed on a coat stand. The ‘lady’ seemed to come alive, with the actor playing both characters, as they got to know each other, fell in love and we watched them arrange to meet each other again with the ‘lady’ handing the clown a train ticket. When the clown makes his way to meet her - the train prop being a top hat pumping out steam - he discovers that she’s not there, it was a figment of his imagination, and he tears up the ticket.
The final act of the first half prepared the audience for what was to come, transitioning the show from the audience being the onlookers to being fully part of this immersive show, as we watched a clown get caught in a web of snow which seemed to grow and grow until we were also caught up in the web. If you stay in the auditorium during the interval you won’t be disappointed. You’ll experience clowns running over the arms and the backs of chairs, being showered by ‘snow’ when umbrellas opened and the excitement of getting sprayedby spinning water bottles on umbrellas.
The finale had us looking at each other in amazement and surprise as we found ourselves in a life-size snowstorm, with snow swirling around us. This was followed by the largest and slowest moving bouncing balls I have seen, thrown into the auditorium and we enjoyed throwing them around the theatre. It was evident that the shared fun of being surrounded by ‘snow’, throwing balls at each other and watching and waiting in anticipation caused everyone to want this show to never end.
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Photo by Aya Rufin |
I fully recommend this captivating show and if you can book a seat in the stalls you will be absorbed in an immersive and fully interactive show that will leave you with surreal memories, questioning whether your experience was real or whether you dreamt it. A definite 5 stars from me.
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Slava’s Snowshow plays at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre until Saturday 12th January and then plays internationally in Europe. Tickets are available from https://slavasnowshow.com/en/
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