Angie Johnson enjoys the family-friendly treat that is Once Upon a Snowflake at the Pegasus Theatre

Yuletide traditionally starts for me with a visit to the Pegasus Theatre Christmas show. Every year they seem to have something completely different on offer but it always hits that festive sweet spot.

This year is no exception as Once Upon a Snowflake from the Paper Balloon Company is delightful. It’s not one of those high budget extravaganzas that abound at Christmastime – and most definitely not a panto – but a cleverly constructed show built to inspire and harness the imagination of young theatregoers.

As the show began, a friendly accordionist in costume wove his way through the audience playing softly and chatting to the kids. This was a genius bit of ice-breaking that relaxed everyone and sharpened the appetite for the play.

The story is quite quirky and lots of fun. Two ‘Spriteoligists’ are called in to investigate the disappearance of Liza, a little girl who has been whisked away by the Winter Sprites. This pair of science/detective types, complete with magnifying glasses, explained all about these tricky tiny creatures before whisking us off in the footsteps of Liza who has been swept up by one of these elf-like beings into a magical adventure.

Paper Balloon have brought together a lovely mix of styles in this production. The three performers, Alex Kanefsky, Max Gallagher and Elaine Hartley, engage with their audience brilliantly.

There are plenty of jolly interactive bits that kept the youngsters completely involved. I was particularly impressed with the improvisation of ‘a story that has never been heard before’, which the audience themselves had to create to rescue Liza. I’m not going to tell you how the performers pulled off that feat (spoiler!), I will merely say that the kids absolutely loved it.

With their expert use of shadow puppetry, the company were able to show the sweep and range of the little heroine’s escapades in a way that really fed the imagination of the young audience.

There were plenty of magical moments throughout – a personal highlight for me being the mirror ball twirling around so that made it look like a snow storm in the auditorium.

The songs, music and soundscapes are key to the success of this show. Musical Director Darren Clark has written some lovely songs and, remarkably for Christmas, they are not at all cheesy.

* Once Upon a Snowflake is at the Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road, Oxford, until Christmas Eve.