Theatre: Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’

GET ready Swansea because this year, despite what the Met office say, Hans Christian Anderson’s cold and frosty Snow Queen is guaranteeing you a white Christmas.

The famous fairytale tells of Gerda’s quest to find her friend Kay who has been bewitched and imprisoned by the enigmatic Snow Queen’s evil spell. This engaging fantasy sees Gerda battle a perpetual winter in an attempt to rescue her sweetheart from the clutches of the stunningly beautiful, Narnia-like white witch.

The Snow Queen is being put on by the Dylan Thomas Theatre this holiday season and it’s certainly not going to disappoint. With just the right amount of frost and snowflakes and an eclectic mix of talking reindeer, white foxes and wolves, Andersen’s masterpiece is coming to life this Christmas and I urge you not to miss out.

In a nutshell the fairytale tells of Kay, a young man whose heart is pierced by a fragment of the devil’s mirror which turns good to evil and beautiful to ugly.  The Snow Queen takes him away in her sledge and imprisons him in an eternal winter. His sweetheart, Gerda, takes it upon herself to rescue Kay from the clutches of the evil Queen and we soon learn that it is only via her love that he can be released from the heart-freezing shards of an enchanted mirror and the icy enchantress.

Along the way Gerda encounters the Snow Queen’s magical court of wolves, white foxes and sprites along with an evil troll and a talking reindeer. The comedy escapade is interspersed with the urgency of the rescue mission and with an interesting array of set design and costumes, particularly that of the enigmatic villain. The Dylan Thomas Theatre has adapted this enchanting fairytale into a Christmas time story which should leave even the hardest winter heart feeling a little warmer.

 So if you’re keen to be transported by the Snow Queen to the Icy Royal Court in a tale widely regarded as one of Anderson’s best, then get yourself down to the Dylan Thomas Theatre between the 15th and 18th December. Showings are at 7:30pm with a matinee at 2:30pm on the Saturday. A profound and beautiful tale which has been repeatedly re-adapted on television, film, ballet and theatre – I won’t hesitate to recommend it.

 Tickets are £8.50.