Charlie Chaplin and Monty Python were inspirational for me
The legendary clown, Slava Polunin, is returning to London after a seven-year gap with his incredible Slava’s SnowShow, writes Michael Holland.
I got to speak to the Russian artist and clown (through his interpreter) and as we communicated I could see that his lively eyes were darting around the room looking for something that he could use to raise smiles on the faces there.
Slava always loved pantomime and clowning but had to study at the Engineering-Economic Institute in Leningrad before he could return to his first love and make a career from it. But once he did he became renowned in his homeland and was soon organising major theatrical events across the Soviet Union.
In those difficult Cold War times, whenever other clowns and circuses from abroad visited they would be placed under KGB surveillance. In 1985, during the Moscow World Festival of Youth and Students, Slava organised a masterclass of pantomime attended by many Western mimes. The Dutch clown Jango Edwards was someone Slava admired and wanted to meet but was under strict orders not to go anywhere near him. Through subterfuge the KGB agents were tricked into following someone they thought was Slava while he and Edwards met in a park to “talk to their hearts”content’.
After the Berlin Wall came down there was more opportunity for working abroad and his Caravan of Peace toured many European cities.
The idea for SnowShow was formed many years ago: ‘I realised that I wanted to create a show that would take us back to our childhood dreams,’ begins the man who will never grow up. ‘A show which would help spectators be released from the jail of adulthood and rediscover their forgotten childhood.’ Anyone who has seen SnowShow will know it does exactly that.
Since its UK debut in 1996 at the Edinburgh Festival, Slava’s SnowShow has captivated audiences across the country with its enchanting blend of theatrical artistry and magical whimsy. The show has enjoyed nearly 100 weeks of performances and played to an estimated 1 million spectators in the UK, with over 800 performances across numerous cities It continues to be a beacon of theatrical brilliance, bringing joy and wonder to audiences of all ages.
The man before me with the smiling eyes revealed, ‘London has a truly central place in my heart, as the city where I truly launched my international career, when I first brought SnowShow here in the mid-90s. Britain is where I find the greatest tradition of theatre, pantomime and clowning – the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Monty Python were inspirational for me – it feels like coming home.
‘SnowShow has been travelling the world every day for over 30 years, but it has been seven long years since we last brought it to the UK. We will be visiting Sunderland for the first time, and coming back to the delightful Theatre Royal in Brighton. We have played London many times, but it will be a first for us at the prestigious Harold Pinter Theatre, a stage filled with such history and magic.
‘Clowning is much more than laughter—it’s about seeing life from a poetic perspective, finding joy and emotions in the simple, the absurd, and the unexpected. The UK has always embraced our poetic universe, and I can’t wait to see how a new audience reacts and look forward to welcoming back familiar faces who saw SnowShow many years ago.’
I ask to take his photo for the article. He picks up the book he signed for me.
Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN, from Wed 18 Dec 2024 – Sun 12 Jan 2025.
Times: Tue – Sat at 19:00; Sat at 14:30; Sun at 14:00 and 18:00. Admission: £24.50 – £175.
Booking: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/harold-pinter-theatre/
