Slava's Snowshow Expected to Engulf Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre

By Kenneth Jones
03 Oct 2008

A scene from Slava's Snowshow.
A scene from Slava's Snowshow.
Photo by Veronique Vialresiz

Slava's Snowshow, the surreal and wordless clown show set in a stark, wintry landscape, will make its Broadway debut this fall at the Helen Hayes Theatre, according to Telecharge.com.

A first preview of Nov. 11 is posted, and tickets are currently on sale to Jan. 4, 2009.

In its 2004-07 Off-Broadway run at the Union Square Theatre, the 90-minute production — created and directed by (and starring) the internationally renowned clown Slava Polunin — won the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Event, and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for it outlandish and otherworldly costumes. Polunin is expected to be among the troupe of performers in the Broadway run, according to Telecharge.com.

Slava's Snowshow famously ends with a blinding light and a blizzard of fake snow blowing into the audience and piling up around the ankles of theatregoers.

Foster Mollison Entertainment produces the show. Tickets range $79.50-$129.50.

Here's how the show is billed at Telecharge.com: "The award-winning, internationally acclaimed Slava's Snowshow melds unbridled hilarity — and unexpected poignancy — with stunning spectacle and awe-inspiring visuals. It culminates in a stunning coup de theatre — a joyous, swirling snowstorm that sweeps across the stage, filling the theatre and engulfing the audience."

The work has been seen in more than 80 cities around the world.

Performances are expected to play Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday-Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 4 PM & 8 PM, Sunday at 2 PM and 6 PM, with additions and variations in that schedule due to accommodate the holidays. See telecharge.com for exact times and dates.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Oct. 12. American Express cardholders have access to tickets before that.

The Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, was recently the home of the musical Xanadu.