Scottish Ballet The Snow Queen Festival Theatre Edinburgh 27th November 2025 Review
Scottish Ballet The Snow Queen is at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh until 07 December, and this work, loosely based upon the famous story by Hans Christian Andersen heralds clearly that the winter festival time is clearly now upon us all.
This version of the story (without giving too much of the plot away), revolves around the Snow Queen (Jessica Fyfe), her sister the Summer Princess -aka Lexi (Melissa Polson) and two young sweethearts Gerda (Kayla-Maree Tarantolo) and Kai (Bruno Micchiardi). Add into this narrative a travelling band of circus performers led by Zach, Ringmaster (Benjamin Thomas) and Mazelda, a fortune teller (Grace Horler), a travellers camp in the woods, snow wolves, Jack Frosts and snowflakes, then we are definitely now in some winter fantasy land.
Visually, "The Snow Queen" owes so much to the creative talents of Christopher Hampson (Choreographer) and Lez Brotherston (Design), plus of course the magic that really starts once the performers of Scottish Ballet take to the stage. Some fine attention to period costume details completes this familiar, but no definite period in time, feel to this work. The original score by Rimsky-Korsakov, with music arrangement by Richard Honner, performed by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra (a large one for this production) adds that final but all important ingredient to the ballet.
"The Snow Queen" from the very beginning seamlessly integrates visual technology into this production, and lighting design by Paul Pyant is also integral to the overall atmosphere of this show. Interestingly, for me anyhow, although this is "The Snow Queen" and Jessica Fyfe performs the title role of "The Snow Queen", so much of the dance performance time and the emotional essence of this story belongs to Kayla-Maree Tarantolo in the role of Gerda. The contrast between the two of them is always striking, both in their emotional input and dance choreography.
In this story it is the ability of Kayla-Maree Tarantolo to express emotions, particularly her feeling for Kai (Bruno Micchiardi), that gives this work much of its depth. So much of her choreography is also reflective of these feelings. Jessica Fyfe, The Snow Queen, by contrast is as emotionally cold as the winter landscape that she rules over. Even when The Snow Queen has Kai in her power, it is not for love, that is not their relationship. The Snow Queen has her own reasons for wanting Kai and, again, some fine choreography by Christopher Hampson reflects all of this as even in scenes with Kai, there is not the emotional dynamics that you would expect between two leading characters. Both Jessica Fyfe and Kayla-Maree Tarantolo capture their respective roles well here with some impressive technical dance skills too, and that almost mirror contrast, that good versus evil personas, makes for good visual story-telling.
Bruno Micchiardi has a difficult job here, not only has he to make his own often very demanding choreography look effortless, but he also has to adapt to supporting the two very different choreographic styles of The Snow Queen and Gerda. Often he makes some of these big lifts and drops look so easy. Emotionally, Bruno also has to switch from the emotions of a young man in love to one possessed by the dark forces of the mirror shards.
There is also an interesting contrast in choreography for Melissa Polson in her dual roles as The Summer Princess and the rebellious Lexi. Her conflicting emotions over Kai also make for some unexpected twists to this plot. Lexi is a character with many different facets to her personality and Melissa Polson is well suited to this role.
One visual problem (for me) with this production depends upon where you are seated in the theatre. If you are seated on the left hand side of the theatre then chances are that your view of the circus performers’ stage will be partially, if not totally, obscured. As this is from where Kai disappears, what follows (unless you have read the programme, or a synopsis somewhere) may not be that clear.
Overall though, "The Snow Queen" well deserves its place as one of Scottish Ballet's regular winter treats.
Review by Tom King © Tom King
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
This version of the story (without giving too much of the plot away), revolves around the Snow Queen (Jessica Fyfe), her sister the Summer Princess -aka Lexi (Melissa Polson) and two young sweethearts Gerda (Kayla-Maree Tarantolo) and Kai (Bruno Micchiardi). Add into this narrative a travelling band of circus performers led by Zach, Ringmaster (Benjamin Thomas) and Mazelda, a fortune teller (Grace Horler), a travellers camp in the woods, snow wolves, Jack Frosts and snowflakes, then we are definitely now in some winter fantasy land.
Visually, "The Snow Queen" owes so much to the creative talents of Christopher Hampson (Choreographer) and Lez Brotherston (Design), plus of course the magic that really starts once the performers of Scottish Ballet take to the stage. Some fine attention to period costume details completes this familiar, but no definite period in time, feel to this work. The original score by Rimsky-Korsakov, with music arrangement by Richard Honner, performed by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra (a large one for this production) adds that final but all important ingredient to the ballet.
"The Snow Queen" from the very beginning seamlessly integrates visual technology into this production, and lighting design by Paul Pyant is also integral to the overall atmosphere of this show. Interestingly, for me anyhow, although this is "The Snow Queen" and Jessica Fyfe performs the title role of "The Snow Queen", so much of the dance performance time and the emotional essence of this story belongs to Kayla-Maree Tarantolo in the role of Gerda. The contrast between the two of them is always striking, both in their emotional input and dance choreography.
In this story it is the ability of Kayla-Maree Tarantolo to express emotions, particularly her feeling for Kai (Bruno Micchiardi), that gives this work much of its depth. So much of her choreography is also reflective of these feelings. Jessica Fyfe, The Snow Queen, by contrast is as emotionally cold as the winter landscape that she rules over. Even when The Snow Queen has Kai in her power, it is not for love, that is not their relationship. The Snow Queen has her own reasons for wanting Kai and, again, some fine choreography by Christopher Hampson reflects all of this as even in scenes with Kai, there is not the emotional dynamics that you would expect between two leading characters. Both Jessica Fyfe and Kayla-Maree Tarantolo capture their respective roles well here with some impressive technical dance skills too, and that almost mirror contrast, that good versus evil personas, makes for good visual story-telling.
Bruno Micchiardi has a difficult job here, not only has he to make his own often very demanding choreography look effortless, but he also has to adapt to supporting the two very different choreographic styles of The Snow Queen and Gerda. Often he makes some of these big lifts and drops look so easy. Emotionally, Bruno also has to switch from the emotions of a young man in love to one possessed by the dark forces of the mirror shards.
There is also an interesting contrast in choreography for Melissa Polson in her dual roles as The Summer Princess and the rebellious Lexi. Her conflicting emotions over Kai also make for some unexpected twists to this plot. Lexi is a character with many different facets to her personality and Melissa Polson is well suited to this role.
One visual problem (for me) with this production depends upon where you are seated in the theatre. If you are seated on the left hand side of the theatre then chances are that your view of the circus performers’ stage will be partially, if not totally, obscured. As this is from where Kai disappears, what follows (unless you have read the programme, or a synopsis somewhere) may not be that clear.
Overall though, "The Snow Queen" well deserves its place as one of Scottish Ballet's regular winter treats.
Review by Tom King © Tom King
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com