Theatre / the egg
Review: Snow Mouse, The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath
Snow Mouse is back for another winter run at The Egg, Bath, and it’s no surprise to see the enchanting little dungaree-wearing puppet return.
This show has been delighting the youngest audiences at Theatre Royal Bath’s family theatre for seven years and counting.
As you walk into the soft, pom-pom-covered faux snow wonderland of the theatre’s Roper Room, fluffy cushions scattering the floor and a glitter ball slowly revolving overhead, there are audible gasps of excitement from the young audience.
It feels like a safe, special and memorable immersive space; worthy of a first theatre experience for any small child.
This iteration, directed by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Nik Partridge, sees actor, circus and cabaret performer Nikki Warwick returning to the role she previously performed in 2018, and directed the following year.
At 45 minutes, it is the ideal length to hold young attention spans, yet long enough to allow Warwick’s child protagonist and the curious little mouse companion she discovers to thoroughly explore their new winter world together, playing, slipping and sliding around, building, falling, hiding and sheltering.
Snow Mouse – photo: courtesy of Theatre Royal Bath
There are beguiling changes in scale as they sledge down mountains on a snow shovel, and exuberant giggles from the visiting preschool at the slapstick of repeated ungainly pratfalls on a lake. The denouement is genuinely heartwarming.
And although aimed at the very young, the simple storytelling and beautiful set of Snow Mouse captivates everyone in the room. It’s a timely reminder that snow makes children of us all.
Snow Mouse is at The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath, from January 12-February 6, at 9.30am, 11.30am and 1.30pm (no Monday performances). Tickets are available from www.theatreroyal.org.uk.
Main photo: courtesy of Theatre Royal Bath
Read more: Review: Five Children and It, The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath
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