|
15th-17th February 2007
Leaving the New Wolsey theatre after experiencing Teresa Ludovico’s production of the timeless Hans Anderson’s fairytale “The Snow Queen” felt like waking from a rather exquisite dream.
The superb movement of both the actors and the aerial dance sequences (directed by Giorgio Rossi) captivated and entranced the audience into a world of wise grandmothers, princes and enchanted gardens.
This very physical production threw a few Brechtian twists along the way however the beautiful simplicity of a set commanded mainly by excellent lighting faded completely upon the arrival on stage of Sonia Diaz and Federico Dimitri, the young actors playing Gerda and Kay. There warm and energetic portrayal of the two youngsters allowed the audience to throw themselves into the production with complete abandon, not just the younger audience either.
With many comical moments, mention must go to the twenty foot Augusto Masiello, and more than a handful of heart tugging ones, this adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s folk tale has been given much more than a breath of fresh air. Undoubtedly the feature that set this production apart was the aerial dancing and acrobatics that enabled the ethereal Snow Queen played by Elisabetta Di Terlizzi, along with Francesco Manenti and Elisa Canessa to demonstrate tremendous skill, whilst creating an electric atmosphere and injecting a truly surreal element to the show.
As I glanced around the auditorium I realised I was not alone in my response. The packed hall had been transported and was travelling with faithful Gerda to find her best friend Kay who had been kidnapped by the evil Snow Queen and put under her spell so he can feel and remember nothing and is slowly turning to ice.
This slice of European theatre sparkled with diverse accents and played with a rich mix of culture. Certainly elements of the Chinese culture were explored with great success through the actual character of the Snow Queen, who was expressed very powerfully with the aid of this dimension. The soundtrack also was littered with oriental twinges as well as French accordion music. Far from distract and make the production feel muddled this diversity merely enhanced the foreign and magical feel of the production.
However dreamlike “The Snow Queen” was, what cannot be ignored is the rich symbolism running through this tale of the age old battle between good and evil, and the one thing that can melt the iciest of hearts and allow the escape from any form of isolation be it self inflicted or otherwise, love.
Christina Sutton
16th February 2007
|