Review: Slava’s Snowshow Brings Clowning to Orlando
We were invited to attend one of the first performances of “Slava’s Snowshow” at the new Dr. Phillips for the Performing Arts in Downtown Orlando. “Slava’s Snowhow” is in the midst of a two-week run that lasts through March 1st, 2015.
“Slava’s Snowshow” has a Cirque du Soleil feel without the acrobatics and some of the spectacle. It is a clowning show with several interactive effects, including a spider web unrolled over the audience and the signature “snowstorm” with confetti being blown at the audience. The latter is a brilliant effect, but the spider web gave me pause as I watched it looming closer. As someone who gets a little claustrophobic, I was nervous about being stuck under it. While that didn’t happen, I am still finding bits of the cobweb – and confetti – a couple of days later. And I recommend not sitting too close to the stage, there is a large “splash zone” where the clowns come out and spray water in bottles. We were ready for it just in case, covering our cameras with jackets.
Photo by Denise Preskitt
That said, I enjoyed “Slava’s Snowshow”. It is charming and surreal, with music that reminded me often of Cirque. Created by Slava Polunin over 20 years ago, the Dr. Phillips website says of the production, “The deeply imaginative Slava, who draws on the vaudeville approach grounded in the innocence of discovery, takes his audience on a dreamlike journey reconnecting them with their inner child.”
Photo by Denise Preskitt
“Slava’s Snowshow” is a show of few words – I think I counted 3. Jeff caught the words “Blue Canary” as well during the song of that name, which I was able to hear once we posted the video of it. That particular segment is delightful, I could have watched it for hours. On the other hand, there were some slower segments as well. And I never did laugh as hysterically as some of my audience neighbors, but many of them had a glass of wine or two. I did find myself smiling during much of the show, and that was good enough for me.
Here is the Blue Canary segment from the show.
The Dr. Phillips website warns that “Slava’s Snowshow” might not be appropriate for younger children due to dark lighting and loud music. As someone who is very sensitive to loud noises, I was just on the verge of needing light earplugs – but I didn’t. It is a fairly loud production, but I would be more cautious for young kids of the balls in the audience at the end. Some of them are very light, but a few were a little heavier than expected.
Here is a look at the ball finale.