THE world faces the chilly horror of a perpetual winter in a reworking of a famous Hans Christian Andersen fairytale coming to the stage.

But, fortunately, warm hearts as well as cold ones abound in The Snow Queen — A Winter’s Tale, Faringdon Dramatic Society’s seasonal musical show, so perhaps that evil might be averted. You can discover if it is by going along to one of six shows at Faringdon Junior School in Gloucester Street on January 30 and 31 and February 6 and 7.

Freely adapted by Peter Webster from the original by the renowned Scandinavian storyteller, it contains all the main elements of the traditional story as well as some very unexpected twists — such as the inclusion of some other fairytale characters. So expect to see the likes of Pinocchio, Gepetto, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Peter Pan and Wendy in cameos, but as you’ve never seen them before.

And, as the society’s audiences have come to expect, there will be lots of laughs, frights, music and dance along the way.

Market trader Carlo, played by Seb Allum, is unfailingly cheerful, believing that the customer is always right, so nothing is too much trouble for them.

His only problems are his rather dotty mum Nelly (Helen Thrower) and that he cannot find the courage to tell his best friend Gloria (Andrea Smith) how he really feels about her.

But his troubles mutiply when his marketplace patter is overheard by the Snow Queen, played by Amanda Linstead, her two dim-witted henchmen Jackie and Jill Frost (Katie Dyer and Verity Roberts), and her Ice Elves. Her vision of a perfect world is a land of perpetual winter.

Poor Carlo represents everything she hates and, bitter that she should be the Sun Queen and not her sister, she decides to start spreading her chilling message using her magic mirror fragments — and starting with the hapless market trader.

Jackie and Jill, aided by the Ice Elves, trick Carlo into getting some of the glass shards in his eyes, changing his normally affable personality.

The Snow Queen lures him away to her icy kingdom on the promise of power and riches where Carlo is told he must spread The Snow Queen’s message. But, luckily for Carlo, Gloria realises he has disappeared and resolves to track him down with the help of villager Eleanor, played by Yvonne Kelly, who also takes the role of The Sun Queen.

That poses the question of whether Gloria will succeed in her mission and see Carlo revert to his old cheery self — and will he ever ask her to marry him? But, perhaps, before that potential happy ending, there’s the small matter of returning warmth and sunshine to a shivering world.

The show’s author Webster also directs the action backed up by musical director Debra Warner.

Performances on Friday are at 7.30pm and on Saturday at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets for adults are £8, for children (under-16) £6, and for families £21 are available online at http://www.faringdondramatic.org.uk/ or from The Nut Tree, Corn Market.