There is something magical and otherworldly about puppets, which make them a perfectly-suited vehicle for fantasy. When the Dallas Children’s Theater’s production of The Snow Queen begins, a puppet rendition of author Hans Christian Anderson introduces us to his story and the stage suddenly transports to a smoke filed realm where two demons create a mirror that distorts the world’s beauty. The two ugly, wooden-faced puppets cackle and shriek as the mirror shatters, creating a moment is both terrifying and poignant.
This opening was scary enough to send one child at the matinee I attended wailing into the lobby. My three-year-old covered her eyes with the playbill. My five-year-old made sure her arm and leg were pressed up against mine. And although it was an unnerving scene for the children in the audience, it also reinforced the play’s power. The magic was unleashed, and for the next fifty minutes, we were riveted by the action on stage.
The Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts world premiere adaptation of The Snow Queen is not specifically a holiday production, but its wintery setting and themes of love and familial warmth complement the season (fans of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe may also notice aspects of this story that may have inspired C.S. Lewis). Set in an unspecific time in Denmark, Kai and Gerda are two children who get swept into a magical adventure when a shard of the demon’s shattered mirror unexpectedly pierces Kai’s eye and heart during a snowstorm, distorting his own good natured personality and view of the world. In the same storm, the Snow Queen appears in her sleigh, and Kai is seduced by her beauty. She takes him in her sleigh and brings him to her icy palace near the North Pole.
Kai and Gerda’s grandmother is distraught over the disappearance of her grandson, and Gerda sets out to find him. The journey begins when she offers a nearby river her shoes in exchange for her brother. She is lured into a boat and soon swept away by the magical river. Along the way Gerda meets a kindly crow, who leads her to a king and queen. The royal couple equip Gerda for her journey. But later, a young thief captures her, stealing her purse and cloak. Eventually the little girl miraculously makes it to the cold palace of the queen, where she must help her Kai remember the love of their home in order to melt the ice on his heart and in his eyes.
For the production, the stage in the Studio Theater at the Rosewood Center is mostly black, with a circular screen in the center that occasional displays snowfall, townscapes, or other scene-setting images. The puppeteers manage to stay out of sight, covered in black hooded cloaks, and efficient lighting and deft handling allows the puppets to pop from the background full of life. At a length of fifty minutes, the story is forced to stay brisk; scenes change with a regularity that will keep even the youngest audience members engaged, allowing The Snow Queen to serve as a warming experience for all, a wonderful introduction to the stage.
Main photo: The Snow Queen (Photo by Mark Oristano)
