Scottish Ballet’s The Snow Queen adds a sprinkle of Christmas magic

Morag Bootland enjoys a festive night at the ballet.

WHEN Scottish Ballet premiered The Snow Queen in 2019 I was blown-away by the costumes, set design and sheer beauty of this reimagining of a Hans Christian Andersen classic. So, I was delighted to hear that The Queen, her wolves and a troop of colourful travellers were to return to the Festival Theatre three years later.

The shimmering, sparkling ethereal world of the Snow Queen is juxtaposed with the earthy, rich colours of the traveller’s camp as the scenes shift and this beautiful love story unfolds.

The costumes of the Queen and the Summer Princess would make any Disney Princess green with envy, but my highlight is the snow wolves. Their snarling masks and sumptuous white coats exuding an air of menace as they leap and prowl across the stage to carry out the bidding of their Queen, who is once again played by the fabulous Constance Deverney-Laurence.Traditional tutus are only a small part of the costume design, allowing the characters to really come alive. Whether it be the intricate cape donned by the Queen or the movement created by the long bohemian skirt of Mazelda the fortune teller (Grace Horler), there’s plenty of forward-thinking costume design on show.

The set design is incredibly clever too and the action moves seamlessly from otherworldly ice palace to gritty streets, colourful circus and traveller camp. Combined with clever lighting there’s always something to admire on stage if you can take your eyes off the dancers and the stunning choreography.

Kai (Jerome Barnes) and Gerda’s (Roseanna Leney) is a story of love, but there are themes of loneliness, friendship and power running through this tale too.

Without giving away too much of the plot, Gerda never gives up on her love for Kai and faces her fears head-on to rescue him from the icy enchantment of the Snow Queen, with a little help from The Summer Princess, aka Lexi (Alice Kawalek). The ending is a happy one for the young lovers, but I can’t help wonder what becomes of the Summer Princess who seems destined to be alone with her somewhat terrifying sister for all eternity.

If you’re looking to put a little bit of Christmas magic into your life then an evening at the ballet might just be what you need. From young children to more mature ballet fans, just like Kai, the audience were all enchanted by Scottish Ballet’s The Snow Queen.

The Snow Queen will appear in Edinburgh. Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Newcastle. For more infomation go to scottishballet.co.uk

Images by Andy Ross

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