Slava’s Snow Show DVD – Review
No film of a performance is every going to be the same as seeing the actual show live. Still, there remains some shows that are a must-see, and if a DVD is all you can get hold of then this is a must-buy. Or perhaps more of a must-track-down from somewhere in Europe. It’s not one you can wander into HMV and pick up.
If you have seen Slava’s Snow Snow, you will be familiar with the set up and vital part the audience plays within it. With that in mind, is it worth buying the actual DVD? Absolutely, for whilst it’s not a replacement, it is an enhancement in a different way.
Part of the magic of the show is in the quietness. The stillness. The communication through expression and non verbal cues. Despair, confusion, melancholy and innocence in the pools of wintry blue eyes are a big part of the humour and connection. In this DVD, we get to see that up close. We get to see the slap stick more clearly, much in the way you might watch a black and white silent film.
This production is subtly different in parts to the current show on tour giving it a different artistic shade. It does have some of the same cast and it’s still funny. Perhaps even more so. And though you don’t get to bounce balls and throw snowballs, you can appreciate the beautiful way clowning and storytelling has been broken down into such minimalism. There’s no story here and yet there is a dream like ‘journey’ of love, loss and humour towards the final blizzard. Or is there? For this is a show that paints a picture and lets the audience tell it.
One thing’s for sure, it’s never a disappointment and though we don’t get to physically take part and bask in the atmosphere of a theatre full of love, we do get to laugh and embrace, and that’s always a happy place to be.
£30
Available from a Google hunt of difficult to get hold of things you want to buy
Chopsy Bristol Review of Slava’s Snow Show 2017: http://chopsybaby.com/magazine/slavas-snow-snow-bristol-hippodrome-review-2017/
Chopsy Bristol Review of Slava’s Snow Show 2013: http://chopsybaby.com/magazine/slavas-snow-show-at-the-bristol-hippodrome-review/
Slava’s Snow Show – Blue Canary during Ball of Balls at Bristol Hippdrome 2017