House Theatre of Chicago Presents THE SNOW QUEEN Review — Shards of Self-Reflection

For starters, this first production of the company’s 20^th anniversary season offers free rapid Covid tests before every performance. Come at least 30 minutes prior to curtain time and a nurse encased in PPE can swab you in a room off the main lobby. A Covid test would hardly induce children to see a show, but Chopin Theatre, The House’s longtime venue, has other attractions. Families can wander through the eclectic assortment of furniture, memorabilia and tchotchkes on Chopin’s main and lower levels before and after the performance.

The House Theatre of Chicago's The Snow Queen’s Broken Shards

Onstage, projections animate the set of white tree trunks and icy platforms, quickly pulling the audience into the wintry universe of The Snow Queen. Then humans and creatures enter, launching a story about making mistakes and discovering the connectedness of people, animals and nature. There is Chione, a character who wears an enchanted mirror around their neck and abandons their responsibilities. When Chione meets Kai and Quin, cousins and friends, a mirror-shattering crisis occurs. Reassembling the mirror’s broken shards become necessary to reassembling their lives. Along the way, everyone encounters loss, enlightenment and maturity.

Puppetry Enriches the House Theatre of Chicago’s Production

A defining element of House productions is puppetry. Deftly integrated into the narrative and facilitated by skilled cast members, the white raven, arctic fox, and polar bear enrich the emotional texture of the play. This viewer developed deep concern for the fate of those animals, crafted from delicate spiraling materials. In the tradition of fairy tale catastrophes, the glaciers of their habitat are melting. In the reality of climate change, fairy tale endings simply don’t exist.

The actors playing human characters did not inspire the level of concern as the animal puppets – at least till The Snow Queen’s final scenes, in this reviewer’s opinion. More nuanced performances may evolve over the course of the run. Nonetheless, the show comments decisively on humans’ heavy global footsteps. For families seeking a shard of self-reflection to offset seasonal indulgence, The Snow Queen may just be the ticket.

Cast:

Molly Brennan (Womoon/Grandmother), Vero Maynez (Chione), Christine Mayland Perkins (River), Jackie Seijo (Quin), Thomas Tong (Harpier), Vincent Williams (Kai) and Roxy Adviento (puppeteer)

Production team:

Lanise Antoine Shelley, adaptor; Amber Montgomery, director; Sully Ratke, scenic and costume design; Trey Brazeal, lighting design; Olanrewaju Adewole and Kevin O’Donnell, sound design and composition; Liviu Pasare, video design; Dennis Watkins, magic design; Jesse Mooney-Bullock, puppet design; Caitlin McCarthy, properties design; Hallie Gordon, creative producer; Derek Matson, dramaturg; Molly Brennan, accessibility coordinator; Matthew Yee, animation; and, Ben F. Locke, casting consultant.

WHEN:

January 2, 2021

Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 3 p.m.
Runtime is 85 minutes, no intermission.

WHERE:

Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division St.
Chicago

TICKETS:

$20+

For more information please visit House Theatre website.

Photos by Michael Brosilow

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.