The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe Review

I’ll hold my hands up — I’ve been a fan of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for a long time.

Growing up reading all the Chronicles of Narnia, I’ve seen more than my fair share of adaptations, whether the late 80s BBC series, the ’05 film with Tilda Swinton, even the 1979 animated series which I actually thought had been a fever dream up until now.

But this latest stage adaptation — currently on show at the Wycombe Swan — is one of the most creative and enjoyable I’ve ever seen.

We were invited to go along to their opening night on Tuesday, and what a treat it was.

The Story

I’m sure most are familiar with the story of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, CS Lewis’ most famous novel and certainly the one that has captured the imaginations of children and adults for decades now. The tour of this production actually marks 75 years since its original publication.

But anyway, the production sticks faithfully to the story which sees siblings Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund arrive as wartime evacuees to the mysterious house of ‘The Professor’, where they travel through a wardrobe portal to the magical land of Narnia…

They meet an parade of unforgettable characters, including fawn Mr Tumnus, the scene-stealing Mr & Mrs Beaver, the magnificently evil White Witch and, of course, Aslan — the titular lion.

One of the first things that comes apparent is that this is no straightforward, naturalistic production. We’ve got musicians performing with their instruments on stage as characters; multi-roleplaying; there are aerial stunts (cue “can I have a go?” from my daughter ); and some mind-blowing puppetry. The first sight of Aslan gave me shivers, it was so effective.

The whole production feels magical.

It’s really well paced too. Although it’s arguably on the longer side (Act 1 is about 70 minutes), it held our attention from start to finish and never dragged. The magic is in the sensory overload: spectacular live music, rich vocal performances, imaginative movement, and visual effects that bring Lewis’ world to life.

Character Notes

The siblings’ portrayals are both convincing and heartfelt, with Edmund and Peter particularly capturing the complex dynamics of brotherhood.

But I do think the heart of the production comes from the strength of the side characters they meet along the way.

Alfie Richards is charming as the sheepish Mr Tumnus, and I loved the reassuring presence of the Professor, played by Kraig Thornber. He also has a stint as Father Christmas, which my daughter was absolutely delighted by. Mr and Mrs Beaver absolutely nailed the classic husband-wife-beaver dynamic and Stanton Wright as Aslan captured the magnificence and wisdom of the character completely effortlessly. Katy Stephens as the White Witch was incredible — powerful, cold, the perfect villain.

This is really an ensemble piece — although there are fantastic individual performances, the show’s best moments are when the cast are all on stage, making music and just embodying that magical spirit of Narnia.

It’s also worth mentioning, this show is funny! The wartime background and weighty themes of right vs wrong might lead you to believe it’s a heavy, dark watch but I thought it was really well balanced with light, funny moments.

The Design

When I first heard about The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe being produced as a stage play, I was surprised.

If you’ve read the book, seen the film or any of its myriad adaptations, you’ll know that this is a big undertaking. First off, you’ve got the setting of wartime Britain and this big, mysterious house of the Professor, and then of course, you’re catapulted through the wardrobe into the eternal winter in Narnia.

That’s a big ask for a stage and a set designer.

But hats off to them — this production looks amazing and perfectly captures the spirit of each location without ever being too fussy. The lighting is particularly epic — we loved the train at the start and then the way it’s used to illustrate the White Witch’s brutal power.

We can’t mention the design without talking about the puppets. The absolute expert puppeteering was one of the most magical elements of the whole show for me, particularly when it comes to Aslan, where the majesty of the puppet perfectly complemented the human element of the character, with neither side overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

If you can’t tell already — I loved The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe. An incredible story, creatively told, perfectly capturing the magic of Narnia.

I took my (mature) 5-year old, who absolutely loved it too — even if some of it went a little over her head, she was spellbound by the music and just the sheer visual delight of it on the stage.

Older children and adults alike will enjoy this too. I kept thinking about how inspiring it would be to see this as a young Drama or English student, watching to see how all the different themes of Lewis’ novel play into the various elements of the production. And just to see the sort of thing you can make when you take a leap of faith, like the Professor advises the children to do, and open your mind.

Highly recommended.