Ice, ice…murder? A review of Vertigo Theatre’s A Killing Snow
By Steve Tonon, April 7 2026—
Vertigo Theatre is celebrating its 50th anniversary season, and from March 14 to April 12, they are proud to present their latest production, A Killing Snow, by Canadian playwright, Paul Ciufo and directed by Tara Beagan. The play is a nod to the murder mystery genre with tons of comedy enriching its text, and is committed to leaving its audience members at the edge of their seat.
I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to go see it, and as a fan of a good “who’s behind it all” type of story, I was rather excited to go see it. Without giving away too much in the hopes that one person is excited to go see it, A Killing Snow counts with the presence of five characters. Libby (Katherine Fadum) a mom desperate to reunite with her daughter, Alena (Nimet Kanji) a literature professor, Callie (Linda Kee) a young woman that lives in the big city that came back to her small town, Gerald (Andrew Moodie) a retired high-school teacher and Jack (Bernardo Pacheco) a pig farmer. These people with seemingly different and specific backgrounds are snowed in at a home in rural Ontario, and are soon to find out they might have more in common than they seem to believe at first. The plot derives from an accident on the road that takes the life of an old lady where the main characters gather at Gerald’s house.
The challenge arises for each of the characters when one of them is killed, and the remaining characters have to decide whether to stay at the house with a killer, or leave and face the tenebrous weather.
The play does the most to leave audiences guessing what is happening and who might be behind plotting the murders. The cast does a fantastic job at playing off of their characters caricature-like traits, which allows the audience to quickly identify what kind of energy each of them will bring to the story. With a special highlight to Pacheco, who does an incredible job in bringing comedic timing to his performance and alleviating some of the more tense moments, such as the interrogation section where his character tries to take control of asking the questions. Said iconography of each character is crafted very well from the very first scene and it gives the sense of reading a good, clue puzzle, Agatha Christie-type novel. It is nice to witness the interactions between the characters and how Ciufo utilizes their personalities as a narrative device to develop the story he tells. With the production design, the crew created the set to make this experience seem even more immersive, a special stand out includes the frosted window details and the projection of the fierce snowstorm effect.
With that said, there is one aspect of the production that left much to be desired. The stronger first act of the play builds the narrative around the characters, their desires and conflicts with one another. This construction pays off in its second act as the audience are listening and trying to observe every detail, not only script wise, but the physical set present on stage as well. However, the second act suffers with the deeper dive into the Roman mythological aspects that the story introduces and does not create a segway to anywhere satisfactory in the conclusion, making it seem rushed and abrupt when it reaches its end.
To me, the Latin mysticism that surrounds the narrative did not justify its existence and felt like a distraction narrative element thrown in to create a larger-than-life mystery that could be discarded and the story would still follow similar paths. The impression it gave was to excuse narrative choices that could have been better put together without its presence. So, when looking at the overall product of the play, the balance is not 100% positive for it may leave some audience members confused and with a feeling of wanting a more thought-out ending.
According to a seasonal-pass holder I had the pleasure to talk to, this play is one of the Vertigo Theatre productions where most actors were on stage, which brought a freshness to the production style that loyal audience members of the company are used to. A Killing Snow is a fun production with tension and various jaw dropping special effects that cannot all be told in this review for the sake of keeping it spoiler free. It is a play that brings entertainment to different kinds of audience members, from young adults to elders. It is not recommended for younger kids because it may get scary given the created atmosphere, but if you have the opportunity to go check it out for yourself, I’d say go for it! Just remember to book your ticket in advance for better chances at availability.
For more ticket information visit the Vertigo Theatre website or visit their box office, right beside the Calgary Tower.