Review: THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE, New Wimbledon Theatre

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe was the first of C.S. Lewis' much-loved books to be written in his series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Since its publication in 1950 there have been numerous adaptations. Michael Fentiman's new version, based on the original production by Sally Cookson, is a magically warm and inventive piece of theatre.

It is World War II; soldiers are waved off to fight and, rather presciently, children are evacuated to the countryside. What follows is the story of the four Pevensie children as they discover the magical land of Narnia at the back of an old wardrobe. As they become enveloped in this new world, they join Aslan the lion in his fight to rescue Narnia from the evil White Witch and an everlasting winter.

The Pevensie children are charmingly played. Karise Yansen is sweetly innocent as Lucy, Ammar Duffus is a very affable Peter, Robyn Sinclair is authoritative and kind as eldest sister Susan and Shaka Kalokoh is a suitably over-confident and occasionally petulant Edmund.

Samantha Womack is an imperious White Witch; arrogant and haughty with a commanding air. The character is not overly frightening for the younger audience members, but to adults she comes across as rather one-dimensional.

Chris Jared's calm and measured Aslan has authority and invokes much awe in the other animals. The issue is that, as the second half of the production feels a little rushed, the audience does not get enough time to invest in the character and so Aslan's death is not as moving as it should be.

The multi-talented ensemble cast is terrifically adaptable, playing multiple roles and musical instruments. Sam Buttery is a very funny and over-the-top Mr Beaver and Johnson Willis is quirkily charismatic as Professor Kirk and enchanting as Father Christmas.

The show looks fantastic. Shannelle Fergus' choreography is energetic and Tom Paris' inventive design is whimsical and highly effective. There are some lovely touches, such as the illuminated miniature evacuation train passing along the elevated arms of the cast, while a huge clock with no hands towers over events, allowing lighting designer Jack Knowles to visually reflect winter and spring in icy blues and fiery oranges.

There is good use of aerial action. As the first act closes with the song "Beware the Witch!", Womack soars above the stage in a visually impressive spectacle using white sheeting and shadows dancing below her billowing skirts.

The wonderful puppetry of Max Humphries and Toby Olié creates an entrancing Aslan. It is a good decision to use both puppet and actor to show the animal and human spirit of the character, but occasionally the two feel like separate entities. There is also a charming cat called Schrödinger and a robin, who really seems to dance around the stage. A particularly impressive moment is when Turkish Delight comes to life using illuminated, dancing red boxes.

The transitions back and forth to Narnia retain reminders of the war, with some of the Narnia animals wearing camouflage and Aslan is an inspirational war-time leader, but there are clear reminders of Lewis' allegory of Aslan representing Christ.

The music is not the strongest point in the show; the folk-based songs are atmospheric, but often forgettable, but the show is not a musical and the lack of earworms does not detract from the visual impressiveness and feelings of wonder and warm nostalgia that the whole production evokes.

This is an ideal family show, retaining a sense of wonder for both children and adults alike.

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe is at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 16 April, then goes to the Bristol Hippodrome

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

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