Past Productions

Blizzard Wizard

November - December 2002

The Blizzard Wizard is aimed primarily at children under 10. Written and directed by Zoe Seaton and Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney, it literally brings a touch of magic to the stage. Jack Walsh, Sarah Dillon and Seamus Allen act out the parts to a musical score by Neil Martin.
The format is similar to that in Snowman – a child embarks on a great adventure, before returning safely home.

The plot is simple, and acted without words. Little Holly is very excited. It's Christmas Eve, and there’s a huge present waiting for her under the tree. Once her grandfather has gone to bed, Holly creeps into the living room and opens her gift. With a puff of smoke, she’s transported to the world of the Blizzard Wizard, who concocts a magical brew in a cauldron and reads The Wizard Gazette while having his cornflakes.
Magician Mc Eneaney has lined up a series of illusions to keep the kids guessing – the wizard can levitate, people vanish from locked trunks, squashed cats resume their normal shape….best of all, the wizard can turn a beaker filled with paper into a wonderful snowstorm!

Seaton’s slick direction and Mc Eneaney’s child friendly illusions keep the children guessing, and the pace never slackens as Holly is greeted by one surprise after another and the Blizzard Wizard triumphs over his evil enemy.

It's always a delight to see little faces scrunched up in wonder. When the Blizzard Wizard magically appears at the back of the auditorium, the audience spontaneously bursts into applause.
So hold the humbugs, and settle back to enjoy the wonder of Christmas. You might want to bring a child with you, too.

Sunday Life

Words Simply Not Enough!

There are no words…..because there are no words in The Blizzard Wizard, Cahoots NI’s delightful new Christmas show for the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.

Indeed, words would be entirely surplus to requirements in this vivid, expressive little piece, jointly written and directed by Zoe Seaton and Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney.

The story is told entirely in mime and music. There are lovely performances, by Jack Walsh as Grandpa and the Wizard, Sarah Dillon as Holly and Seamus Allen as the Postman and Bad Wizard, while Neil Martin’s terrific score is, one minute lively and tinkly, the next mysterious and clunky, as befits the tale.

And, the packed audience of small children are held absolutely spellbound, caught up in Holly’s Christmas Eve adventure, in which her curiosity whisks her away to a world of magic, illusion, scary goings-on and happy endings.

Not a minute is wasted in the short hour that flies by like lighting.
Mc Eneaney and Seaton have found exactly the right formula for the occasion, and their efforts are perfectly complemented by Stuart Marshall’s higgledy piggledy set, John Riddell’s spooky lighting and Jeanette Parkes witty costumes.

The whole thing is simply smashing.

Jane Coyle

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The Irish Times – Saturday 21st Dec 2002

There are no words to describe Zoe Seaton and Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney’s crisp new play for young children. Indeed there are no words at all, for this imaginative piece of physical theatre relies entirely on vividly expressive performances, fantastical visual effects, magic, illusion and an atmospheric score.

It is almost cinematic in construction, beginning with the normality of a family Christmas Eve, with elderly granddad trimming the tree, packing the parcels and trying to keep his curious little granddaughter Holly from peeking into a particularly intriguing package, tied with shimmering golden ribbon. But that normality is fractured when grandpa goes to bed, leaving wide-awake Holly to discover a Pandora’s box of mixed delights, lurking in the jumble of the upstairs attic, secret home of the Blizzard Wizard.

Through a series of sometimes scary, sometimes enchanting, episodes, Holly encounter the good magic of the Wizard set against the rougher wiles of a scheming chancer, whose glittering jacket and jaunty hat give him a deceptively magnetic appeal.

Neil Martin’s terrific, ever present score is virtually a character in its own right, tinkle and tuneful turning to syncopated and clunky, as the mood of the story changes and Holly is brought back to earth with a sharpened sense of the meaning of Christmas.

Jack Walsh, Sarah Dillon and Seamus Allen give beautifully realised, fluent performances, creating characters who invade the imaginations of the rapt young audience without ever patronising or preaching to them.

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Belfast Telegraph – Tuesday 3rd December 02

WIZARD’S BREW A WINNING RECIPE

The Blizzard Wizard is aimed primarily at children under 10. Written and directed by Zoe Seaton and Paul Bosco Mc Eneaney, it literally brings a touch of magic to the stage.

Jack Walsh, Sarah Dillon and Seamus Allen act out the parts to a musical score by Neil Martin. The format is similar to that in Snowman – a child embarks on a great adventure, before returning safely home.

The plot is simple, and acted without words. Little Holly is very excited. Its Christmas Eve, and there’s a huge present waiting for her under the tree. Once her grandfather has gone to bed, Holly creeps into the living room and opens her gift.

With a puff of smoke, she’s transported to the world of the Blizzard Wizard, who concocts and magical brews in a cauldron and reads The wizard Gazette while having his cornflakes.

Magician Mc Eneaney has lined up a series of illusions to keep the kids guessing – the wizard can levitate, people vanish from locked trunks, squashed cats resume their normal shape….best of all, the wizard can turn a beaker filled with paper into a wonderful snowstorm!

Seaton’s slick direction and Mc Eneaney’s child friendly illusions keep the children guessing, and the pace never slackens as Holly is greeted by one surprise after another and the Blizzard Wizard triumphs over his evil enemy.

Its always a delight to see little faces scrunched up in wonder. When the Blizzard Wizard magically appears at the back of the auditorium, the audience spontaneously bursts into applause. So hold the humbugs, and settle back to enjoy the wonder of Chrismtas. You might want to bring a child with you, too.

Grania Mc Fadden