This autumn, a snowstorm will once again sweep across British theatres — the legendary Slava’s SnowShow is returning to the United Kingdom. After last year’s warmly received Christmas season, Slava Polunin’s Olivier Award–winning masterpiece — one of the most recognisable theatrical phenomena in the world — will tour seven UK cities: Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham, Richmond, Birmingham, York and Bradford.
Created more than thirty years ago, SnowShow remains a performance where clowning transforms into poetry. On stage unfolds a world of jesters and dreams — a true work of art where each scene paints an entire picture: an enormous shark gliding through a foggy sea; clowns and spectators tangled in a giant web; a farewell to a coat-hanger on a railway platform. And, of course, the audience mesmerised by giant inflatable balls and the final otherworldly blizzard that engulfs the entire hall. It is a show where laughter lives side by side with silence, and childlike wonder blends with nostalgia.
The cast includes Slava Polunin’s son Vanya Polunin, his longtime collaborator Artyom Zhimo, Aelita and Bradford West from the USA, Francesco Bifano from Italy, Yuri Musatov from the Netherlands, and Christopher Lynam from the UK. Slava Polunin himself will join the tour and, according to producers, will appear in several performances.
“Clowning is much more than laughter. It’s a way to see life through poetry — to find joy and emotion in the simple, the absurd, and the unexpected. The UK has always cherished our poetic universe, and I’m looking forward to meeting new audiences and re-encountering familiar faces who saw SnowShow many years ago,” — says Slava Polunin.
Since its debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 1996, Slava’s SnowShow has been performed in the UK more than 800 times in venues such as the Peacock Theatre, The Old Vic, Piccadilly Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre, attracting nearly a million spectators and becoming a fixture of the country’s cultural calendar. Over the years, the show has won more than 20 international awards — including the Olivier Award, the Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award nomination — and has captivated audiences in over 225 cities across 40 countries, with 14 million people having seen it worldwide.
Photo by Roman Boldyrev
Slava Polunin was born in a small town in central Russia. He discovered the art of pantomime while still at school and later, in Leningrad, developed an eccentric version of the genre that he affectionately called “expressive idiocy.” Since 1979, Slava has been an integral part of Russian stage and television, continually re-imagining the art of clowning through poetic, touching and humorous performances.
He describes clowning as “the art of seeing the world differently.” In his hands it is free of straightforward jokes — laughter becomes a metaphor, and simple absurdity turns into a way to speak about human emotion.
SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW — UK TOUR 2025
New Theatre Cardiff — 15–18 October
Manchester Opera House — 22–26 October
Nottingham Concert Hall — 29 October–2 November
Richmond Theatre — 5–9 November
Birmingham Alexandra — 12–15 November
Grand Opera House York — 19–23 November
Bradford Live — 27–30 November
Recommended for ages 8 and over. Children under 3 will not be admitted. Parents with young children are advised to choose balcony seats — during the finale, large inflatable balls float through the auditorium.
