Slava’s Snowshow is playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theater for a limited run.
By Elazar Abrahams
Known for being one of the most successful international theater tours of all time, Slava’s Snowshow has taken up residence in Manhattan for the next few weeks. I was lucky enough to attend last week and experience the giggles and wonder.
There’s not much of a storyline in the show, or at least not one I could understand. Instead, the audience is treated to a collection of great shtick from mastermind Slava Polunin and his posse of silent clowns. The series of sketches includes bits on stage with physical gags, but also a lot of interactive moments with the audience. And lots – LOTS – of paper snow. You’ll be stepping through piles of the tiny white strips on the way out, and find them stuck in your shirt later that night. Audience involvement was the best part of Snowshow. The show concludes with an unbelievable finale. Giant beach balls and snow fill the air and invite you to play with them. Those minutes are really beautiful and unlike anything you’ve seen on Broadway. Without spoiling anything, this show may have the best intermission ever. Beware of the splash zone, and watch your purse carefully…
There are two other small things I loved about the show. One of them is a diverse audience. Because Slava’s Snowshow has no spoken dialect, its Broadway run is accessible to non-English speakers. The other aspect I adored was the soundtrack. Despite zero talking, the clowns’ skits are accompanied by music tracks that smartly add to the atmosphere, including one “Blue Canary” earworm that I’ve been humming ever since.
I’ve never said this about a show before, but if you can’t get your hands on orchestra level seats, I’m not sure I recommend going. For any other production, the balcony is totally valid seating – the tickets are cheaper and you get to witness the same show as those who shelled out way too much money to be in front. But with Slava, so much of the enjoyment came from being up close and noticing the facial expressions of the performers. Those above missed out on that. Even more crucially, patrons in the rafters don’t get to be part of the big finale! It would stink to watch other people have fun for an hour and a half, and I’m afraid that’s what happened to them.
You can buy tickets HERE.
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