Director Will Tuckett has reimagined Raymond Briggs' beloved Snowman for the stage, refreshing the story more than 30 years after it first became a theatre production. Tuckett, a former Royal Ballet dancer who has directed productions including the National Ballet of Japan's Nutcracker and a stage adaptation of In the Night Garden, is working with Paddington designer Tahra Zafar on the new version.
The original animated film, which aired in 1982 with a score by Howard Blake, spawned a stage show that premiered in 1993 and has been staged annually by Birmingham Rep. Tuckett's reboot brings the story to the stage once more, opening with the familiar melody "We're walking in the air" composed by Howard Blake.
The production uses innovative staging techniques. A large wooden box at the centre of the studio opens like a book to become a house, revealing a kitchen where a couple sit at a table with tea and a puppet cat. A boy wakes upstairs, anticipating Christmas.
The source material does not provide details about the "Hot Santa" or other specific changes to the narrative, or confirm a formal opening date.