Stunning version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe graces the stage this festive season
There is something magical about going to the theatre at Christmas. Everyone seems more excited and there are always lots of happy faces in the crowds as they enter the auditorium.
Of course, it’s panto season, but there are also other ‘Christmassy’ shows across our area to enjoy, and one that always evokes the feeling of festivity is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, playing now at The Lowry in Salford.
I have always been a fan of this story; from my mum reading it to me when I was little for a bedtime story, to seeing it on the big screen on film and now on DVD, the classic tale always conjures up magical festive feelings.
This huge production, in the large Lyric Theatre, is a spectacle from start to finish.
For those who don’t know the tale, it centres on the four Pevensie children who are evacuated from London during the war to a lonely spot in Scotland to the huge house of a professor. It is while they are there that they discover a secret land, Narnia, where it is always winter, through the doors of a wardrobe. In Narnia, the children join forces with a lion to defeat the evil of the White Witch. Along the way, the children meet an abundance of talking animals who help them.
That’s it in a nutshell, but the story has lots of twists and turns to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.
This latest production is an exhilarating, outstanding piece of theatre, with everyone on the top of their game.
The four children - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, played by Jesse Dunbar, Joanna Adaran, Bunmi Osadolor and Kudzai Mangombe are outstanding as the frightened evacuees who long to see their parents again. From the moment they board the train - which is excellently done with a large toy train carried about the stage with lights and steam coming from it - you get the feeling that they are bonding in their fear of the unknown as they head to the safety of the countryside.
But it is Kudzai Mangombe who really pulls at the heartstrings in her innocent portrayal of Lucy. Her depiction of the youngest sibling has us all rooting for her as she stands up to her older brother Edmund and sticks by her convictions of believing in Narnia and her will to help her friend - the faun Mr Tumnus, when life looks very bleak for him.
Katy Stephens, who plays the evil White Witch, is also outstanding and is quite terrifying! She commands the stage and is exactly as you would image the character to be if you have read the books. The end of the first half of the play is quite literally out of this world and the scene with Jadis the witch is certainly one not to miss!
Of course, the play rests on the emergence of the lion, Aslan, who is returning to Narnia to banish the winter and to rid the land of evil.
This giant lion - remember children, he is a wild lion - is brilliantly portrayed as a huge puppet alongside actor Stanton Wright who is the voice of the lion. Aslan is noble, majestic and kind, but also fierce and loyal.
This stage play is fantastic, but it also has some very dark moments which are not suitable for the very young as some parts are quite violent - I won't give too much away, but it is essential to the story.
This production, with its magnificent sets, outstanding actors - shout out to Anya De Villers and Ed Thorpe who add comedy to the play with their portrayals of Mr and Mrs Beaver - is one of the best pieces of theatre I have seen. It's a must see this winter.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe plays at The Lowry until January 11. Visit thelowry.com for more details.
Review by Charlotte Rose Williams
