If books could be called national treasures, then C S Lewis’s children’s classic The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a likely contender. It is a magical and imaginative story, set between the contrasting worlds of an old wardrobe in a spare room and the frozen kingdom of Narnia.
Based on Sally Cookson’s original production at Leeds Playhouse, and having enjoyed a successful run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2022, this touring production has been enjoyed around the UK for some time, with a long run still to come in 2025.
There is a clear and present danger of me overusing the word “magical” here, but this show is just that. In the opening sequence, the cast beautifully underline the poignancy of the wartime anthem “We’ll Meet Again”, and transport us along with the evacuee Pevensie children, sensible Peter (Jesse Dunbar), capable Susan (Joanna Adaran), petulant Edmund (Bunmi Osadolor) and kind Lucy (Kudzai Mangombe) way up north to Scotland to escape the Second World War. Their father is away “doing his bit”, and so it falls to Peter to keep charge of his siblings as guests of the mysterious Professor and his cat Schrödinger (as well as this humorous nod, Schrödinger is often the source of some of the show’s lighter moments).
Lucy explores their new home and, after climbing into a wardrobe, finds herself in snowy Narnia, befriends the faun Mr Tumnus (Alfie Richards), and together they share tea and cake. However, by meeting a “daughter of Eve”, Mr Tumnus has put himself in danger with the White Witch (Katy Stephens). Thinking she has been away for hours, Lucy returns back to Scotland through the wardrobe, only to find she has just been missing for a matter of minutes. Edmund, quite the angry young man, doesn’t believe her but tries the wardrobe for himself. Inevitably, he meets the White Witch and, thanks to her gift of his heart’s desire (Turkish Delight), falls under her spell.
As Peter and Susan then join Lucy and Edmund in Narnia, so begins their quest to rescue Mr Tumnus, who has since been captured by the White Witch, and, along with the mighty lion Aslan (Stanton Wright), free Narnia and its woodland inhabitants from the White Witch’s grip and a never-ending winter.
Representation of this unfamiliar, yet familiar, world of Narnia is done with impressive creativity and theatricality. Shanelle ‘Tali’ Fergus’s choreography weaves the action together skilfully, from scene changes to set-piece routines, along with the outstanding physicality of the cast as they portray their different characters, from woodland animals to the White Witch’s steampunk-esque entourage, often while playing an instrument.
Puppetry, via director Toby Olie and with design by Max Humphries, is another key element in the overall magic of this production, with Aslan represented as puppet and human; the puppeteers and Stanton Wright as his voice capture Aslan's magisterial power and stillness.
There’s a kind of magic to all elements in this production, literally courtesy of Chris Fisher’s illusions, to Tom Paris’s inspired set and costume design, with the giant clock face suspended above the stage a reminder of the disconnection between Narnia and our world. Katy Stephens commands the stage as the White Witch, hovering above us in a stunning sequence.
Composers Barnaby Race and Benji Bower provide jolly folk-inspired songs, particularly enjoyable when Father Christmas (Kraig Thornber) makes an eye-catching appearance.
It is, of course, not all fun and games; this is also a show of evil, darkness and dread, with the White Witch aided and abetted by the sinister Maugrim (Shane Antony-Whiteley) and Tom Marshall’s insistent sound design.
Director Michael Fentiman and the superb cast and crew present an absorbing and, yes, magical theatrical treat.