The adventure begins long before the premiere of The Snow Queen at Moesgaard

The sun was baking over Moesgaard, the coffee cups were steaming, and suddenly the Ice Devil's vehicle came driving onto the set, covered in blue icicles and crystals.

There are days when everything just fits. Where the sky is cloudless, where the sun warms the back of your neck, and where you stand somewhere and think, I want to remember this. Today was one of those days.

Today I was at Moesgaard, where in a month's time you can experience The Royal Danish Theatre's big outdoor performance The Snow Queen. And even though it's still only in the initial rehearsals, I could already feel the shiver in the air when I stepped in next to the stage. Something big is taking shape out here.

Four colossal towers rose into the sky. A revolving stage with a giant eye in the middle was ready. And around it all stood the most strange vehicles, one covered in blue icicles and another with antlers. It was like stepping into an adventure that had not yet begun but already had its own pulse.

Coffee, croissants and a shared expectation

We were welcomed by both the Royal Danish Theatre and Moesgaard, and you quickly noticed how close the collaboration is between the two parties.

Director of Drama at the Royal Danish Theatre, Morten Kirkskov, put into words an ambition that sticks. The Royal Danish Theatre wants to be the theatre for the whole country. And when you stand out there and know that up to 70.000 people will find their way to the performance, it suddenly makes sense in a very concrete way.

A story about going through fire and water for your best friend

Director Nicolaj Faber took us into the story. He told us about Kaj, who gets a piece of glass in his eye, so that everything beautiful suddenly feels cold. About Gerda, who refuses to let go. About a girl who goes out into the world without knowing if her best friend even wants to come home with her.

Kim Fupz Aakeson has rewritten HC Andersen's classic, and you could hear from Nicolaj that they have hit on something very special. The story is told with both humor and warmth, and the entire set design is built around this one image, a big, enormous eye, because it is in the eye that it all begins.

Inside the eye is a rotating stage that can tilt and transform into landscapes as the adventure vehicles move around it. Gerda has to go out into the world, and even though the stage is still, she doesn't. It's the kind of solution that seems so simple that you almost forget how well thought out it is.

On stage are twelve actors and six dancers. In addition, over 50 extras from the local area. Some of them have families that have been involved for several generations. It has become a tradition, and that kind of thing does something to you. This is not just a performance, it is something that brings people together across age and place.

The entire team behind the adventure. Twelve actors, six dancers and over 50 local extras.

Behind the scenes, where the details live

We went backstage to what is called the village. A small universe in itself with workshops, wardrobes and a container that has been converted into a gigantic dryer. Because here you play regardless of the weather. Costumes and wigs have to be able to withstand rain, wind and long evenings.

The golden carriage is ready. It is known from previous performances, but now with a new role in The Snow Queen. And then there is the crow car. Feather upon feather, laid with a precision that testifies to great patience.

A little further away stands the Ice Devil's vehicle. Covered in icicles and crystals, as if it had been rolled straight out of the ice castle. One could already imagine the car in motion when darkness falls.

An ATV transformed into a giant black crow with wings reaching up to the sky.

When passion finds space

The wig cart was the highlight of the day for me. Hairdresser Jacob Kruse Henriksen, who is responsible for all the wigs, spoke with such passion that we were all completely captivated. He talked about every detail as if he had put on every hair himself. You could tell that it is not just a craft. This is his life and passion.

He revealed that many of the so-called wigs are actually helmets. The princess's large crown is a helmet because she has to be able to dance without losing it. The devils' horns are soft, so no one pokes out each other's eyes. Here, every detail has been thought out and at the same time, there is a twinkle in the eye.

He told the story of the princess's crown, which had become so big and beautiful that she could not possibly dance in it wearing her huge yellow dress. Then a line was improvised into the performance – “Hold my crown” – and then she hands the top of the crown to one of her ladies-in-waiting and continues dancing.

I stood in the wig cart, surrounded by rows and rows of wigs, and thought about all the time, all the work, all the love that went into just this one part of the show. Two years of preparation, just for the wigs. 

Mask maker Jacob Kruse Henriksen smiles and shows off a gold crown with a wig and a spire in the wig department at The Snow Queen.

A foretaste that lingers

Finally, we attended an open rehearsal. The actors were without costumes, as it was only their second day on set, and yet, still, I could see it all in my mind. The scene where Kaj gets the glass splinter in his eye and turns to Gerda with cold eyes, hurt, even without lights and sound. That's the magic that lies in good storytelling, and even in its raw form it struck me.

I've been to the big outdoor shows at Moesgaard before, so I know what to expect. When the sun goes down, when the light from the big towers takes over, when the sound booms through the landscape, and when a whole crowd of extras slip into formations out in the twilight, it's something very special. It's an experience that sticks in your body and stays there for a long time.

PR manager Lise Benthin Præstgaard hit it right when I spoke to her: here they can “play with all their muscles”. Fire, lasers, snow cannons, enormous machines and then the beautiful surroundings, which become a co-star in the performance. You sit with your blanket and maybe a beer in your hand, and are completely sucked into the story. You can’t do that anywhere else.

I drove home with the sun on my face and adventure in my head. And one thing I know for sure: when the show premieres on May 21st, I will be back. This is something you have to experience. And if you're hesitating, don't. It's one of those things you just have to see, because you can't compare it to anything else.

Good to know

• Where: Moesgaard, Moesgaard Allé 15, 8270 Højbjerg
• When: From May 21st – June 27th
• Director: Nicolaj Faber
• Playwright: Kim Fupz Aakeson – based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale
• On stage: Mille Hoffmeyer Lehfeldt, Laura Skjoldborg, Alvin Olid Bursøe, Anton Hjejle, Simon Mathew, Carla Eleonora Feigenberg and others.
• Tip: Bring a sleeping bag or blanket – it gets cold when the sun goes down.