Following a celebrated return to the UK last Christmas, Slava’s SnowShow, the multi award-winning global phenomenon, returns to tour the UK this Autumn. The scruffy, disarming troupe of multi-cultural fools will take audiences on a spellbinding adventure, unleashing full-throttle madness amidst enchanting, contemplative moments, before roaring to its legendary finish.
After making its North-East debut in Sunderland, a hugely successful return to Brighton, and a four week season in London’s West End, last year, Slava’s Snowshow will travel the country including The New Theatre Cardiff (15-18 October).
This company of chaotic comics from around the world share the roles of the yellow and green clowns. This year’s touring company includes Slava’s son Vanya Polunin, and his long-time collaborator, Artem Zhimo. They are joined by Aelita West and Bradford West from the USA, Francesco Bifano from Italy, Yury Musatov from the Netherlands and Christopher Lynam from the UK.
Slava Polunin, the mastermind behind it all, will join the tour and will, for select surprise performances, return to the role he first originated over thirty years ago.
Slava Polunin said, “SnowShow has been travelling the world every day for over 30 years, clowning is much more than laughter—it’s about seeing life from a poetic perspective, finding joy and emotions in the simple, the absurd, and the unexpected. The UK has always embraced our poetic universe, and I can’t wait to see how new audiences react and look forward to welcoming back familiar faces who saw SnowShow many years ago.”
Since its UK debut in 1996 at the Edinburgh Festival, Slava’s Snowshow has captivated audiences across the country with its enchanting blend of theatrical artistry and magical whimsy. The show has played over 100 weeks to an estimated 1 million spectators in the UK, with over 800 performances across numerous cities, including notable stints at London’s Peacock Theatre, The Old Vic, Piccadilly Theatre, and most recently the Harold Pinter.
Extensive tours between 2006 and 2017 brought the show to cities such as Bradford, Wimbledon, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Canterbury, Cardiff, and Birmingham, many of which it returns to on this tour.
Slava’s SnowShow, a visual and musical extravaganza, offers a dream-like vision that overflows with theatrical magic and humorous antics. The production is set within an absurd and surrealistic world of ‘fools on the loose’, a work of art in which each scene paints a picture: an unlikely shark swimming in a misty sea; clowns and the audience tangled up in a gigantic spider’s web; heart-breaking goodbyes with a coat rack on a railway platform; audience members hypnotized by giant balloons; and an out-of-this-world snowstorm that’s sure to leave audiences spellbound.
Slava’s SnowShow is the recipient of more than 20 international awards, including an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment, a Drama Desk Award, and a Tony Award nomination. In addition to unanimous public acclaim, the production is a darling with critics who have declared it “a thing of rare theatrical beauty not to be missed” (Daily Telegraph) and confessed, “my heart leapt… [SnowShow] induces waves of giggles and sighs of pleasure.” (New York Times).
Born in a small town in central Russia, Slava Polunin discovered the art of pantomime in high school. As he grew to adulthood in Leningrad, he developed an eccentric version of the form, which he lovingly dubbed ‘Expressive Idiotism.’ From 1979 on Slava quickly became a fixture on Russian stages and TV, sharing his gifts and continuing to redefine the art of clowning with his poetic and poignant approach to comic performance. This discovery would reach its zenith with Slava’s SnowShow, which debuted in Moscow in 1993, and then burst onto world stages following it’s run at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival to universal praise and wonder.
Since its debut, the work has travelled all over the world, playing to an estimated 14 million people worldwide, with more than 12,000 performances in over 225 cities and 40 counties.
15 – 18 October
SHOW TIMES
16 October: 7pm
15 & 18 October: 2:30pm & 7pm
https://trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff/en-GB/event/family/slavas-snowshow-tickets