Review: SNOW WHTE AND ME at Freilichtspiele Tecklenburg

Family musicals are often treated as lighter companions to a theatre's flagship productions—pleasant diversions aimed primarily at younger audiences. Every now and then, however, a production comes along that proves a family show can match its larger counterparts in ambition, craftsmanship and sheer theatrical imagination. This summer, the Freilichtspiele Tecklenburg achieve exactly that with Snow White and Me, a visually sumptuous fairy-tale adventure that combines witty storytelling, infectious music and lavish stagecraft into one of the festival's biggest surprises.

For decades, the Freilichtspiele Tecklenburg have been regarded as one of the German-speaking world's premier destinations for open-air musical theatre. Renowned for their ambitious productions, exceptional casts and willingness to programme titles beyond the standard repertoire, the festival has cultivated an extraordinary reputation. Every summer, thousands of musical theatre enthusiasts descend upon the small spa town, transforming it into a pilgrimage site for fans from across Germany and beyond. Under the artistic direction of Markus Söllner, who continues the legacy established by his predecessor Radulf Beuleke, the festival remains committed to balancing crowd-pleasing entertainment with more dramatic material. Alongside two large-scale evening productions—this season Rocky and Der Medicus—Tecklenburg once again presents a family musical performed in the afternoon.

Ever since last year's Shrek, however, it has become increasingly apparent that these family productions are no longer merely supporting attractions. In terms of production values, they now rival the festival's evening shows, differing primarily in their shorter running time. This year's choice is the Czech musical Snow White and Me, with a book by Philip LaZebnik and music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary, presented in Wolfgang Adenberg and Ronald Kruschak's German translation. Following its world premiere in Brno in 2022 and its German-language premiere in Plauen-Zwickau in 2024, directed by musical theatre veteran Chris Murray, the production now arrives in Tecklenburg under the direction of Janina Niehus, who also helms the festival's acclaimed production of Rocky, working alongside Jan Altenbockum.

Janina Niehus and Jan Altenbockum keep the story moving at a brisk pace, embracing its tongue-in-cheek humour without ever losing sight of its emotional core. The fairy-tale characters deliberately remain charmingly one-dimensional, faithfully reflecting the archetypes from which they originate, while the three central protagonists—Alex, Doro and Florian—are given the space to develop into more rounded personalities. Each of them embarks on an individual journey of self-discovery, ultimately learning to make courageous decisions for the sake of those they love.

Niehus and Altenbockum also provide the choreography, which proves consistently inventive and highly entertaining. Bursting with energy and playful wit, the dances send the fairy-tale characters sweeping across Tecklenburg's vast open-air stage in lively formations that frequently invite the audience to clap along. Particularly impressive is the choreographic vocabulary they have developed: sophisticated enough to showcase the professional performers, yet perfectly adapted to include the large children's ensemble, allowing both groups to perform seamlessly together without the production ever feeling uneven.

The production's greatest triumph, however, lies in its visual design. Rarely has a Tecklenburg family musical displayed production values on a level so close to the festival's evening productions—indeed, in certain respects, Snow White and Me feels even more lavish.

Set designer Jens Janke has created a magical world overflowing with imagination. Giant storybook pages, oversized fairy-tale books, unfolding illustrations and visual references to The Brothers Grimm combine to create an enchanting theatrical landscape. Dominating centre stage is an enormous tree that serves as a portal between the real world and the fairy-tale realm, while a walk-in storybook on one side of the stage becomes the refuge of the last remaining magical creatures. Every scenic element is packed with clever visual ideas and theatrical surprises, resulting in a design that is as practical as it is breathtaking. It is undoubtedly among Janke's finest work to date.

Fabienne Ank's costumes are equally impressive. Created for an enormous cast of performers of all ages, they combine elegance, whimsy and meticulous craftsmanship. Familiar fairy-tale characters are instantly recognisable, yet every costume contains countless playful details that reward closer inspection. The darker designs for Endora's army of villains and supernatural creatures are particularly striking, creating a wonderfully eerie contrast to the colourful heroes populating the fairy-tale world. The carefully coordinated colour palette assigned to the principal characters also provides valuable visual guidance throughout a story that occasionally becomes rather hectic and, especially towards the finale, resolves its numerous plot threads somewhat too hastily.

Although the score is performed to pre-recorded orchestral tracks—and a handful of solo passages unfortunately rely on noticeable lip-syncing—the overall vocal standard remains remarkably high. The ensemble numbers, in particular, are delivered with impressive power and richness, producing several melodies that linger long after the performance has ended.

Gioia Heid delivers the production's standout vocal performance as Alex. She brings genuine emotional complexity to a character who is considerably more layered than the fairy-tale figures surrounding her, portraying Alex as courageous and proactive while allowing moments of vulnerability and quiet melancholy to shine through. This is especially evident in the moving ballad „Wenn Kinder spielen“, one of the musical's emotional highlights. Equally affecting is her duet „So viel besser“ with Lara Schitto, in which both performers convey the sisters' fractured yet enduring bond with heartfelt sincerity. Schitto charts Doro's transformation from a superficial, self-centred teenager into a caring sister who rediscovers the strength of their childhood relationship and ultimately sacrifices her own feelings for Florian out of love for Alex.

Niklas Roling makes for an immensely likeable Prince Florian, endearing both as an awkward young prince and, later, in his delightfully clumsy incarnation as the Frog Prince. His natural charm and comic timing ensure that Florian never becomes a conventional fairy-tale hero but instead remains thoroughly human despite his magical surroundings.

Lisa Kolada is magnificently cast as the Evil Queen Endora, delivering exactly the kind of larger-than-life fairy-tale villain audiences hope for. Her performance immediately recalls Regina from Once Upon a Time, a resemblance that feels entirely intentional given the musical's many nods to contemporary fairy-tale reinterpretations. Combining icy authority with theatrical flair, Kolada commands every scene she enters while never sacrificing the character's underlying emotional conflict.

Tim Grimme makes an equally strong impression as the flamboyant Magic Mirror, who also appears as a sinister spirit feeding the protagonists' insecurities and self-doubt. His charismatic stage presence lends the role an unsettling quality, making him a compelling counterpart to Endora throughout the evening.

The audience favourites, however, are almost certain to be Mathias Meffert as the Big Bad Wolf and Christian Rosprim as Rumpelstiltskin. Their wonderfully absurd redemption arc sees the two former villains renounce their wicked ways, decide to open a vegan restaurant and raise a baby together after rescuing the child originally stolen from one of the dwarfs. Their infectious duet „Ich und du und Baby dazu“ proves to be an undeniable showstopper, bringing the house down with its irresistible humour and impeccable comic timing.

Anyone travelling to Tecklenburg for one of this season's headline productions, Rocky or Der Medicus, should make every effort to include Snow White and Me in their visit—even without children. Much like last year's Shrek, which proved an ideal companion piece to Titanic and Priscilla, this afternoon production offers entertainment of a remarkably high standard in its own right.

If Tecklenburg continues to invest in its family musicals with this level of artistic ambition and production quality, the festival may soon be able to claim something unique among Germany's open-air theatres: not just two, but three genuinely first-class musical productions each summer. Far from serving merely as an enjoyable matinee for younger audiences, Snow White and Me demonstrates that a family musical can be every bit as imaginative, visually spectacular and emotionally rewarding as the festival's flagship evening performances—and that may well be its greatest fairy tale of all.

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