Slava’s Snow Show – A Delight For Kids and Kids at Heart

I try to take my mom to live theatre whenever I can, but unfortunately because English is her second language, she doesn’t always get to fully enjoy the experience. So, when I had the opportunity to take her to see Slava’s Snow Show presented by Show One Productions at the Elgin Theatre just before Christmas, I knew it was an opportunity too good to pass up. 

I have heard of Slava’s snow show over the years, and recently it has made a resurgence on social media with its iconic finale (more on that later) but I had literally no idea what it was about – other than the fact that it was a clown show with potentially a snow theme, but it has been around for a long time, and audiences rave about it, so it had to be good right? 

What I can appreciate about this production is that, through and through, it is a clown show. It is reminiscent of old Cirque Du Soleil shows: whimsical, thought-provoking and nonsensical. We have to remember that clown comedy isn’t always slap-in-the-face funny but has many layers of subtlety. 

The first few acts of the show made me a little confused. An old clown walks down to centre stage with a noose in hand, only to be interrupted by another clown who I assumed was his younger self. Then, more of these “clowns of the past” started appearing, one by one to cause chaos on stage. I was sitting there for the first few acts trying to figure out the point, the plot, and then it hit me: There wasn’t one. This show is equivalent almost to a sketch comedy show, where there are small scenes that may or may not be connected but designed to let your guard down, even make you chuckle or laugh. The very short first half started off serious, but very quickly became funny. The turning point for me was when someone in the audience sneezed and the actors reacted to it in the moment. The following scene was truly one of my favourites: the longest, dramatic death scene ever. After those moments, I was hooked. 

The second half saw more action, with an electric, chaotic opening where most of the audience was soaked with water bottles. Yes, you read that right, they made it rain all over the audience, and I for one found that hilarious. Though is moments of hilarity, there are also beautiful moments, like when our old clown character dances with a coat on a coat rack. It may not seem like much, but the dance was delicate, and meaningful, very much a highlight for me and my guests.  

Then we finally made our way to the finale, and what I am calling the encore. The finale was truly nothing short of AMAZING. Using wind, smoke, and what I am sure is hundreds, upon hundreds of pounds of white confetti, they created a heavy blizzard throughout the auditorium. This scene has been making its way through TikTok and Instagram, and I was so excited to get to experience it myself first-hand. Finally, as an encore, MASSIVE coloured balloons were launched into the audience for a huge game of Keep Up. Though sometimes those balloons hurt because they were honestly quite heavy, one even knocked me on the head (which made for a hilarious TikTok). 

It was nice seeing little kids, and elderly seniors all laughing and playing. Throwing ‘snow’ at each other, volleying giant balloons, taking selfies and having a good time. I walked away feeling joyful, thankful that I allowed myself to let go and enjoy the show exactly as it was, not looking too deeply for meaning or a plot, but just being present in the moment. 

Oh, and if you were wondering, Mom loved the show just as much as I did. 

Slava’s Snow Show will be playing until Dec 31 but tickets are limited so get get yours as soon as possible!

• Wednesday, Dec 27 | 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 28 | 7 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 29 | 1:00 p.m.
• Friday Dec. 29 | 7 p.m.
• Saturday Dec. 30 | 2 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 30 | 7 p.m.
• Sunday Dec. 31 | 1 p.m.

Tickets are available for purchase at showoneproductions.ca. VIP tickets are priced at $149 and include premium seating and a special gift with purchase. Other tickets range in price from $59 to $119.

For more information on “Slava’s Snowshow,” visit slavasnowshow.com.

[Review by Shan Fernando]