For those looking for a festive alternative to the classic pantomime, the Rose Theatre Kingston has announced its annual family Christmas show will be The Snow Queen.
Directed by Natascha Metherall, The Snow Queen will star Sara Stewart as the icy Snow Queen and will play from 2 December to 8 January.
Hans Christian Anderson’s famous story tells of Cei and Gerda, a pair of children who embark on an epic journey to conquer the evil Snow Queen and see love triumph over wickedness.
Stewart was last seen on the London stage at the National Theatre in Present Laughter and The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other. She is joined in the cast by Bettrys Jones as Gerda and Zac Fox as Cei.
The show also promises an unusual design by paper artist Su Blackwell. Stephen Unwin, Artistic Director of the Rose Theatre Kingston, commented: “I’m delighted that the remarkable Su Blackwell is designing The Snow Queen. Her book sculptures brilliantly capture the strange, mysterious, enchanted world of the fairy tale, and it’s a huge pleasure to have her here designing her first stage production.”
From 25 November to 23 December, the theatre will also be offering Kingston shoppers the chance to visit four constructed story houses in the town centre where actors will be performing a series of short Hans Christian Anderson tales including The Princess And The Pea and The Ugly Ducking.
CM