Direct from the West End: a spellbinding journey through the wardrobe doors

Image by Brinkhoff Moegenburg

From Sheffield to Narnia, we join the four Pevensie siblings on their adventures in this production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. In a theatre full of children, I was reminded of the excitement of panto season. It is clear that this story is as loved now as it was when C. S. Lewis wrote it back in 1950.

The adult actors of all four Pevensie children are completely believable, with Kudzai Mangombe playing the character of Lucy particularly well – drawn out syllables and a singsong tone perfectly captures Lucy’s childlike innocence and curiosity.

Upon arrival at their benefactor’s house, the siblings get to know him over supper. Portrayed by Kraig Thornber, The Professor is wise and mysterious and cleverly hints that he may know more than he is letting on. Thornber gives his character an authoritative quality but delivers his life lessons with humour.

The Professor’s cat, comedically named Schrödinger, is our first glimpse of the show’s incredible puppetry. The puppets are expertly handled, recreating the exact mannerisms of their respective creatures. Schrödinger moves silently with grace as he leads Lucy to the large wardrobe upstairs.

The transition to Narnia is gorgeous. Snow falls while dancers in long white coats move softly about the stage. Throughout the show, the dancers appear to represent the landscape and the elements in Narnia as they twirl like snowflakes and create formations like snowbanks. Additionally, the show’s musicians perform onstage rather than the orchestral pit and portray the woodland creatures that help the four siblings throughout their journey. Upon arrival in Narnia, Lucy meets Mr Tumnus who is played by Alfie Richards. Though the production is not advertised as a musical, it does feature several folk-style songs. While they are not songs I would add to my Spotify musical theatre playlist, the folky vibe is perfect for telling this timeless story. Richards performs his song beautifully.

Edmund (Bunmi Osadolor) is the second child to journey through the wardrobe. Osadolor plays the character with a perfect amount of good and bad – unlike Edmund in the 2005 film (who I find incredibly grating!), this portrayal gives Edmund redeeming qualities. He comes across as a child who is immature but wants to be taken more seriously, especially when he meets the White Witch.

The White Witch is played by Katy Stephens, who takes on the role brilliantly. This is exactly what the Queen of Narnia should be: fearsome, wicked… and wonderfully stylish. The costume department clearly had a lot of fun with the Queen, incorporating nods to her style in the 2005 film while crafting new ideas for scenes in the play where she rises above the stage and streams of material chaotically weave beneath her. There are steampunk elements in her costumes, particularly in later scenes where Spring has sprung in Narnia and she no longer needs a coat but still maintains her fur aesthetic. Her followers also have steampunk-style costumes – the Witch’s main henchman, a wolf, had crutches as front paws which allowed the actor to hunch over and give the impression of a dog with its heckles raised. Additional followers had spooky skull-like headpieces that hung over in front of them and created strange and unsettling shadows.

One of the most impressive aspects of the show was the puppetry behind Aslan the lion. The piece needs three puppeteers to operate it alongside Stanton Wright, who portrays the personified version of Aslan. Wright and the puppet move as one with grace and strength.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is a highly impressive production that beautifully encapsulates the wonder of the much-loved book and film. The show draws the audience in with different kinds of storytelling, adding to the fairytale nature of the story: puppetry, magic tricks, shadow puppets, song and dance.