Review: SNOW WHITE At Göta Lejon

This is the third time Snow White the Musical is set on stage by Dröse&Norberg, and the last time was almost three years ago. Snow White the Musical is based on the saga byt the Grimm Brothers and it is not the Disney version but a new adaption where Martin Landh has written the happy and engaging music and Robert Dröse has written the script, directs and is also the choreographer.

When Snow White (Bob Hellberg) was born, her mother died and the king (Andreas Andersson) mourns her for seven years before the new queen (Anna Norberg) comes into their life and her she really is the nasty stepmother. Poor Snow White has only her stuffed animals to comfort her. On her 15th birthday, she makes the Queen upset and the honorable Herold (Patrik Martinsson) gets commissioned by the Queen to kill Snow White. As everyone knows, he can't do it but tells Snow White to flee into the forest. Far away in the woods, she finds a house where the seven dwarfs, all named Konrad, live and she moves in. But Queen is told that she is alive and turns into a witch to kill her. She almost succeeds, but the beautiful Prince Erik (Bragi Bergsson) comes by and saves her. Then they lived happily ever after. The classic story by the Grimm brothers.

This version of Snow White is an exciting and energetic musical and suitable for children of different ages. Over the years I have had children with ages 3, 6 and 9 and they have all had different favorite parts and experience it in different ways. The three-year-old loved the big cuddly toys but was a little scared when the Herold brought Snow White into the forest to kill her. The 6-year-old cheered on Snow White and thought the wicked queen would learn a lesson, but she was embarrassed when Snow White and Prince Erik kissed each other. The 9-year-olds liked that the Prince was played by someone they recognized from Pop Idol or other Tv-show and thought it was fun.

The characters are well known to everyone. Snow White is played by Anna Norberg (who also is the producer), Anna sings very well and her Queen/Witch was wonderfully evil and vane. The Queen is the character which is most interesting and the children loves to dislike her. Anna has a wonderful interaction with the children in the audience who shouts at her and make it clear to her that their favorite is Snow White. Bob Hellberg makes a strong Snow White and as she is quite strong and modern one wonder why she falls for the beautiful but self-absorbed Prince Erik. Bragi has a voice that fits well for his songs and he has to look of a prince. The herald is played by Patrik Martinsson who is probably the most established musical artist of them. Patrik Martinsson has a great musical voice and as usual he delivers a lines and songs with high quality. It is a good composed ensemble. It's extra fun that they not only play on stage but use the hallways on the parquet so the actors get even closer to the audience, which the kids love.

The sceneries are the same as in previous sets and it is still stylish and effective. I like the forest the most in the scene when the Herald is going to murder Snow White. The whole scene is very nicely done with the lighting, the music is dramatic and it is interesting to see how the Herold is tamped with his conscience and emotions. Patrik Martinsson is superbly good there. The costumes are the same as well and the Queen has the most costume changes. She switches to a variety of glittery and fine creations, but it all ends with a gray-brown witch coat. Not at all as glamorous as she would like to end it in.

As a whole, it is a good family musical where the children are involved in screaming and teasing from the beginning. After the encore, the children are invited up on stage and greet all the characters. What a great luck for a 6-year-old to hug Snövit, the Prince and even the wicked witch, who at the encore has changed into her finest finest red dress. It is really nice of the ensemble to take time after the performance for this meet and greet as it will be an unforgettable moment for the children. This really show that for Dröse / Norberg the children are In Focus when they produce a musical and that it should be a total experience that they remember for a long time.

Snow White will be played on the Göta Lejon scattered dates until April 26, 2020.

Tickets are on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.se/artist/snovit-the-musical-biljetter/906989

To post a comment, you must register and login.