★★★
With the chill of winter and London’s renowned lights and festivities, The Snowman is a Christmas classic for audiences young and old, running from 22 November to 4 January 2026 at the Peacock Theatre.
The stage is framed in white forest trees and snow projections, nestling the cast into its own world of snow. Perfect to enhance the magical joys of a child’s Christmas, we follow The Boy and his adventures with The Snowman first by exploring each room in his house, to then fly into the land of Santa Claus and Jack Frost.
The creative cast capture the wholesome simplicity of the film’s grainy animation, in its old-fashioned styled props, comical at times by the sizing of the fish finger packaging or ballerina music box. By enlarging the props, the design creates a deliberate visual imbalance that mirrors a child’s perspective, where everyday objects appear bigger and imagination magnifies everything further. These mundane objects have an Alice in Wonderland-esque speciality to them. In some cases they even came to life. This is particularly memorable in the kitchen with the Hawaiian party interlude, where exotic fruits such as a banana, pineapple, and coconut dance with The Snowman and The Boy with palm tree projections.
The Ice Princess/Ballerina played by Laura Boulter is a particular stand out to this story of whimsy. Her technical precision as a ballet dancer embodies the character of a ballerina in a music box, a universal toy that many girls in the audience are likely to possess. This paired with her expressive facial features, helps the audience climb inside this world of make-belief where toys have lives and snowmen can fly.
Act One ends with The Snowman and The Boy drifting over the clouds before descending into the North Pole. Accompanied by ‘Walking in the Air’ they sweep across the sky against a moonlit projection, echoing the film’s most iconic and beloved moment.
As we enter Act Two, Santa Claus, Jack Frost and the other snowmen are introduced each with their own dances. The latter half of the performance integrates the cast as an ensemble with dance numbers and battling the good and evil. Much like many childrens stories this show holds space for excitement and imagination which is glittered in the spirit of Christmas.
Closing the show, fake snow is released into the audience, further immersing watchers into the magic of the North Pole.
The Snowman will be performed at Peacock Theatre until 4 January.
Words by Louella Venus
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