FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2025

Jack Frost   Eimear Fearon (Neve) and Conor Quinn (Jack Frost) in The MAC's 'Jack Frost'. 
Production Photo: Carrie Davenport

The art of winter as not merely seasonal joy and wonder but also as richly thematic weight is presented elegantly and exquisitely in Allison Harding's sparkling Jack Frost. Directed by Cameron Menzies of Northern Ireland Opera, this is the kind of Christmas spectacle that flourishes visually, musically, choreographically, thoughtfully and performatively, each element gradually finding a way to converge and ultimately illustrate the complexities and cheeriness of the Christmas season for audiences of all ages at Belfast's MAC.

I begin by mentioning the words "joy", "wonder" and "weight" because they are central to Harding's work. They are a marker and reminder of the engrossing straightforwardness of traditional and much beloved heroes' journeys, along with their nuances, which become clearer to evolving hearts and minds over time. Like one of those journeys, a film about a certain wizard which inspired a hugely popular stage musical, Jack Frost is transitional, a confrontation of emerging responsibilities for beginners which also finds many ways to please and even astound.

The staging area, with a set designed by Niall McKeever and lighting from Jonathan M. Daley, is very pleasing in its simplicity. Evoking the snowy but tranquil landscape where the hidden town of Lunareth is located, it features spheres which are reminiscent both of Maiden Voyage Dance's magical Moonlight Dream and the feeling of happiness in that piece. And happiness is energetically depicted by composer Katie Richardson's opening musical number, "The Song Of Lunareth", in which the entire cast and Jennifer Rooney's choreography tantalisingly lay the foundations for a magical Christmas world. When they sing that it's time to leave the dark behind and welcome in the light, one can't help but want to agree.

Jack Watson (Krampus) and Rosie Barry (Cailleach) in The MAC's 'Jack Frost'.
Production Photo: Carrie Davenport

That light is about to be challenged, firstly by King Alban (Richard Croxford, whose filmed visage is projected on stage), Queen Thaloria (Colette Lennon, likewise) and their apparent hypothesis that it's time for Conor Quinn's title character to open his mind and learn more about winter. Perhaps not only winter, but also his growing bond with Eimear Fearon's Neve, presided over by the guardian-like owl Hoot (puppeteered and voiced, brilliantly, by Mark Dugdale). As with The Wizard Of Oz, Menzies and Harding trust the audience's imaginations to fill in the blanks and "go with the flow", and pleasures such as more songs and dances, hearing about Ice Krispies that melt, Hoot's cabaret-like audience participation, and pretty much everything involving walking and talking snowman Jon Snow (Darren Franklin) are both frequent and highly appreciated.

But it's the villains, Rosie Barry's Cailleach and Jack Watson's Krampus, who really take Jack Frost to another level. There's plenty of fun and even some poignancy in our motley crew of heroes, along with St Nicholas himself (the dependably commanding Sean Kearns), yet with Cailleach and Krampus on stage, the excitement and the edification escalates effortlessly. It's an especially powerful showcase for Barry, who builds on her unexpectedly grumpy Nursery Magic Fairy from Replay Theatre Company's The Velveteen Rabbit with a display of pure wickedness. Said wickedness, as such, seems to stem from a sense of emotive discomfort at recognising how the comforting warmth of Christmas magic can be manipulated for selfish purposes, a subtly unsettling undercurrent which strengthens as the show goes on. 

For familial love and trust are two of the most welcoming positives of Christmas, and they are endangered by both disdain and mistrust when cynicism and weariness find their way into life. It is the deceptive nobility of Cailleach and Krampus's goal which lingers – in an apparent attempt to prevent the disappointment which must arise following the fading of pure faith, they are ignorant of the doubt and apathy, the damage to dreams and aspirations, which can replace it. The value of winter magic as an interlude where negativity and bitterness can be forgotten about, if only for a while, and where faith really is at the forefront, beautifully counters this, as does a very sweet moment where Fearon's Neve not only reminds Jack that he needn't carry the burden of his hero's journey alone, but also that it doesn't have to be complicated. From such goals, such characters and such interactions, real joy, wonder and weight do grow, and in Jack Frost we are all able to put aside the pettiness and insecurity from troubles and imperfections in exchange for a bonding experience of truth, beauty, empathy and love - an intelligent and heartfelt triumph.

Simon Fallaha

Jack Frost runs at The MAC, Belfast, until Thursday January 1 2026. For more information, and tickets, click here.