THE HANGOVER REPORT – SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW returns to New York, essentially the same but still radiating its quirky, much-loved charms

A scene from "Slava's Snowshow" at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

A scene from “Slava’s Snowshow” at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

Slava’s Snowshow has returned to Broadway after more than a decade at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, where it opened this week. The show was created by Slava Polunin – who amazingly continues to appear in the show! – in Moscow in 1993, and it previously played New York for limited stints at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 2008 and the Union Square Theatre in 2004, in addition to touring the globe. I myself first encountered this wintertime entertainment, gosh, 15 years ago when the tour stopped in Chicago at the barn-like Chicago Theatre. Over the years, the structure and core components of the show have remained the same; Slava’s Snowshow is essentially a series of semi-related sketches played by an army of arctic clowns, split between those of the green and yellow varieties.

Within the relatively intimate confines of the Sondheim Theatre (where Beautiful just ended its hit run), the piece positively radiates with its quirky, much-loved charms. It’s a unique but admittedly slight diversion that winningly straddles both the art of clowning and performance art. For those looking for more traditional — albeit generic — holiday-time narratives (complete with their requisite didactic moralizing), I would recommend that you look elsewhere. This surreal, wordless show simply wants to have chaotic, Dada-esque wintry fun, although there are hints of sadness and Beckettian loneliness that cast a noticeable chill. Nevertheless, the gentle- and playful-hearted Slava’s Snowshow is most definitely a family-friendly affair that’s nuanced and artful enough to delight children of all ages.

Slava’s Snowshow has been directed with a deceptively light touch by its creator Mr. Polunin. Indeed, the whole show gives the impression of unfolding in a dreamy, stream-of-conscience manner. Sometimes this results in sketches that seem teasingly under-baked, but ultimately that’s part of the work’s charm. And with a running time of well under two hours, and that’s including an intermission, the show most certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome. The cast is comprised of a slew of some rather talented, wonderfully idiosyncratic clowns. Their deadpan and instinctive interaction with each other and the audience is comic gold, particularly the personal space shattering segment at the top of the second act. Oh, and the show’s much touted blizzard sequence remains a visceral, theatrical wonder; it’s one of the most spectacular sights currently to be had on Broadway. Yes, King Lear would be proud.

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SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW
Broadway, Entertainment
Stephen Sondheim Theatre
1 hour, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through January 5

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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