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A joyful production that sparks imagination. Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
For my two-year-old nephew, everything is an adventure. He was so enthusiastic about the long underground journey from west to south London, and the subsequent trip to a café for coffee (for me) and juice (for him), that I briefly worried he might have exhausted his enthusiasm by the time we reached the theatre. However, from the moment he stepped into the Polka Theatre, he was entranced. Having never been to Polka before, I was hugely impressed with the set-up, decor, and the patience of the staff, who were handling a sea of tiny children milling about!
After leaving the buggy in the very well-organised and accessible buggy park, we were asked to take off our shoes before being welcomed into the performance space. My nephew (whom I’ll call A for the purpose of this review) was delighted by all the soft, squishy cushions to sit (or bounce) on, and he was captivated by the atmosphere, with gentle piano music setting the scene. The show begins with the actor asleep on stage, which many of the children immediately notice, sparking a lot of conversation among the young thespians.
Based on the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, the performance follows Peter (played by Jerone Marsh-Reid) as he wakes up one morning to find his world covered in snow. The production features limited dialogue, but this does not detract from the overall flow and impact of the 30-minute performance. Throughout, Peter tackles various tasks familiar to the intended audience of 1 – 4 year olds, such as finding his boots, putting on his pyjamas, and interacting with a set of traffic lights. Marsh-Reid expertly engages the young audience by involving them in the action, and they are delighted to participate. He also incorporates British Sign Language (BSL) throughout, which A, a big fan of his Baby Sign classes, loved. At the end of the performance, when Marsh-Reid invites the children onto the stage to play with the snow, he is fantastic, interacting with each child individually.
Another impressive aspect of the performance is how the set design creates different scenes. The bed, for example, came apart to become various objects — particularly effective in a sequence that was much appreciated by A and the other children, where the bed transforms into a bath, and bubbles filled the stage.
A was absolutely captivated by the show, whispering ‘wow’ at many moments and jumping up with excitement when Peter built a snowman, rolling progressively larger ‘snowballs’ with the help of the excellent stage management team. He couldn’t believe his eyes, repeating ‘a bigger one!’ every time a new snowball appeared. My favourite moment as his aunt, however, was when Peter engaged the children with some breakdancing moves. A immediately shouted, ‘I can do that!’ and tried it out himself. The entire experience at Polka was a delightful adventure, full of wonder and joy for both of us. More than just a fun day out, it was a powerful reminder of how theatre can ignite creativity and imagination in young people.
Based on the book by: Ezra Jack Keats
Directed by: Catherine Boot
Lighting design by: Alexandra Stafford
Sound design by: James Gow
Design by: Laura McEwen
Choreography by: Laïla Diallo
Composed by: Rob Green
Produced by: Mia Lake for Can’t Sit Still
The Snowy Day plays at Polka Theatre until 2 Feburary 2025. Further information and tickets available here.
