The Snow Queen

Not long ago I wrote about the National Theater here in Prague. I suppose it is the long winter but I've had a taste for the theater lately. So a few weeks back I bought myself a couple of tickets online and printed them at home (yep, it's that easy), sent a facebook message to H's little sister inviting her out for the day and headed the Stavovske divadlo (The Estates Theater).

I chose a play this time. Hans Christian Andersen's "Snow Queen". A little known fact about me is that I adore fairy tales. I have a collection of fairy tale books back in my mom's house. They are a look into the collective psyche of a culture.

When we arrived at the theater, there were crowds of children quietly filing into the theater. Logically, a fairy tale theater production was a huge draw for the family crowd. The kids were dressed to the nines in frilly dresses and mini tuxedos. Adorable! Every kid should have such a luxurious experience.

The play is the story of a little boy who is abducted by the evil Snow Queen. His best friend goes in search of him, eventually finding him and freeing him from the Queen's clutches. The acting was engaging for both children and adults, the scenery was simple yet layered so that one or two props could be used to illustrate different scenes and the costumes were well designed. My favorite was the Reindeer. The costume was a full reindeer suit for the actor, the clever bit was that the front "legs" were a type of crutch or stilt held by the hands that allowed the actor to lean on them, bent over a bit from the waist so that he imitated the movements of a reindeer.

I can't sing the praises of Czech theater enough. It is affordable. It is culture. It is surprising. It is fun. It just has to be done!