It is always undoubtedly a glorious piece of luck for a writer when a work of fiction chimes with what is happening in the real world.
In The Last Snow Rider, the realisation that playing in the snow can be more fun than hiding indoors staring at TVs and computers opens just as the heavens drop a white blanket across the country. It couldn’t be more up to the minute if it included updated travel reports.
This performance takes place in a very small village hall space that not only stretches the imagination but also the chill factor. It is never quite clear if the wind noises are machine-made or seeping through the draughty windows, covered - loosely - with pinned-up sheets. It does, of course, all add to the metaphorical nature of what exactly is fun during deepest winter.
High praise must go to Gemma Clough who injects Freya, the last of the Snow Riders, with just the right amount of warmth and frostiness, while local actor William Reay’s gags as Nimbo the snow cloud draw the most laughs. It is left to the experienced Kim Evans as the wicked witch Cailleach to entice over-excited boos and hisses from the audience as she attempts to hijack winter. Christopher Ranson makes an excellent wuss turned hero of Jack yet the surprise highlight here is Jennifer Gabriele. She may have drawn the short straw having to play Lila the dog but her ability to make endless sniffing look so much fun as the others search for human wonder is endearing.
A modern fairytale for the screen generation, The Last Snow Rider is not only highly topical but also highly thought-provoking.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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