by Sarah Cope

“It won’t be cold for long, Mr White. There’s something under the snow.”

With Edinburgh festival “previews” now running all over the city, Londoners are even more spoilt for choice than usual when it comes to the capital’s cultural smorgasbord. This is also the case for “mini-Londoners”, and this week my four-year-old and I went along to see the Lyngo Theatre Company’s Snow Play. The company had a hit with this play at the Lyric Hammersmith over Christmas, but how would a wintry play work for a summer audience?

When it became apparent that there were only going to be about seven of us in the audience I became worried about the word “interactive”. As it turned out, I needn’t have fretted, because the play was charming and engaging, and the interaction was probably made easier by the intimacy of the audience. Indeed, my daughter, not usually one for overcoming her shyness in front of groups of strangers, got so involved that without prompting she went up to the front and helped coat Mr White in “snow”.

I had had visions of the play utilising real snow, and the auditorium being chilled to an uncomfortable degree. However, on entering the theatre it became apparent that this was not the case, and that instead the company had utilised feathers, white fibre and wadding, which with imaginative lighting and billowing winds was immensely effective (although I couldn’t help wondering whether children with asthma and allergies might not get on too well, and might be advised to sit near the back. We were right at the front and could’ve certainly have done with a “de-linting” after the show had ended!).

The premise is simple: Mr White has moved into Mr Green’s house, and in so doing has brought on Winter, “stealing” Spring. There’s a lot of excellent physical comedy, much loved by the children, and the simplicity of the storyline (plus the relatively short running time) keeps the children rapt. The constant interaction (we were throwing “snowballs” at Mr White at one point) meant that the kids felt part of the action rather than mere onlookers, which is a key way to keep this fidgety audience engaged.

It was a brave decision to stage the play quite starkly; not for Lyngo the gaudy palette much favoured by many children’s theatre companies. Indeed, I had to laugh inwardly when I realised the production reminded me in a strange way of a Samuel Beckett play! The fact was though that the snow was the star, and extra colours, whizzes and bangs were simply not necessary.

What though of the unseasonal nature of the play? As Mr Green put it, “It’s June! It shouldn’t be snowing everywhere!” Well, as the theme of the play is the search for spring (and I don’t think I will be giving the game away too much if I tell you that the quest is successful!), the play works in a summer setting. Indeed, this play would work in any season because for adults and children alike it proves itself to be captivating.

Snow Play will be at the Pleasance Edinburgh for the whole of the Edinburgh Festival (August 2-29). For details of other Edinburgh Festival Previews in London, see Time Out.