The Snow Spider @ Tristan Bates Theatre Review

Toys, sweets and videos games are probably more of your typical gift ideas for a child’s 9th birthday, however not for Gwyn Griffiths, who makes a magical discovery about his ancestral lineage…

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The first in Jenny Nimmo’s ‘The Magician Trilogy’, the award winning The Snow Spider displays the cultural clash between Welsh Mythology and Contemporary Wales. Engrossed by the mythological stories of her ancestral past, Gywn’s grandmother Nain entrusts him with 5 gifts, which in turn will determine whether or not he possesses magical powers. Brought to life by IO Theatre Company, Florence Hazard‘s minimalistic staging comprised of three washing lines, step ladders and instruments that effortlessly transformed into various settings from characters homes, to the school class room and playground, to a giant spider web. Joey Hickman‘s Gwyn was endearing, yet defiant as he contended with friends, as well as his parent’s (Emma Whittaker and Philip Benjamin) opposing opinions and disapproval against the concept of magic and mythology. The ensemble incorporated object manipulation, particularly in bringing the title role, the snow spider to life. A clever and playful convention that saw each cast member wearing a glove which depicted the spider scuttling around the stage, adding a fun element to the piece. A strong element of the production was the music, as heart thumping Celtic drums, a violin, cello and harp created a nostalgic accompaniment to Nain’s (Anne-Marie Piazza) mythological storytelling. The piece saw the cast playing multiple roles, adding a storytelling attribute to the production, however at times, this did become confusing. An imaginative and heart warming adaptation, however at times became slow paced. 3/5

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The Snow Spider is currently showing at Tristan Bates Theatre until Friday 10th January, For more info click here…

For more information on IO theatre company, click here…

Written by Theatrefullstop