The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - Review

Words can’t describe how amazing it was to be back inside a theatre after such a long time, but the team behind The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe made the experience even more memorable.

I was fortunate enough to see this amazing production at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre during their tour of the UK last week (19th November), but I was blown away by the production quality. With a strong cast, beautiful visual effects, wonderful puppetry and stunning set design, you truly feel like you’ve stepped into another world for a night of pure escapism.

Direct from London, the acclaim production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is touring the UK starring Samantha Womack as the White Witch. Step through the wardrobe this winter into the magical kingdom of Narnia for the most mystical of adventures in a faraway land. Join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they wave goodbye to wartime Britain and say hello to a talking Faun, an unforgettable Lion and the coldest, cruellest White Witch. The nations favourite novel, now on the stage.

The four Pevensies are played by the exceptionally talented Ammar Duffus (Peter), Robyn Sinclair (Susan), Shaka Kalokoh (Edmund) and Karise Yansen (Lucy) and each brought their respective characters to life flawlessly - Duffus brought a quiet strength to his portrayal of Peter which had so many layers. Sinclair was fantastic as Susan, who had an interesting arc which sees Susan grow from bookish introvert to a heroine in her own right. Kalokoh really captured the complexity of Edmund, bringing brilliant vulnerability and depth to the part. Finally, Yansen embodied Lucy perfectly and captured the childlike innocence of the role without coming across as naïve. All four actors had fantastic chemistry and really captured authentic sibling relationships on stage, which was strengthened by the writing of each character.

The formidable White Witch was portrayed by Samantha Womack - who I last saw on stage in The Girl on the Train - and she was perfectly villainous. It’s refreshing to have an antagonist written to be just unapologetically evil, a character who delights in causing absolute chaos and Womack embraces the sinister nature of that character. The contrast of that character and her other role as the strict housekeeper Mrs. Macready (before the kids stepped into the wardrobe) were so distinctive, I almost forget it was Womack playing both roles.

The majestic lion Aslan was played by Chris Jared, who has marvellous stage presence both as an actor and with the Aslan puppet complimenting his performance. The puppeteer work on this production was truly magnificent and surprisingly kept to only a few animal roles. I found myself torn between both Jared and the Aslan puppet, both combined made such a compelling performance.

The ensemble cast were fantastic, all of which were superb in their roles. Some of the standouts were Johnson Willis’ Professor Kirk, Jez Unwin’s Mr. Tumnus, Christina Tedders’ Mrs. Beaver, Sam Buttery’s Mr Beaver and Michael Ahomka Lindsey’s Maugrim. The entirety of the ensemble really brought Narnia to life, through the dance sequence, puppetry and musical numbers.

As I’ve said before, the crew were did a truly spectacular job at bringing Narnia to the stage. It truly offered a real escapism for the audience. There were some dark moments naturally, but this is definitely a family show as it managed to balance the magical and darker themes.

This was truly a magical production and was absolutely stunning to watch. As well as capturing the heart of the original novel, this adaptation fleshes out the characters much more and expands on the story we all know.

If you can, I’d highly recommend this for a Christmas family treat. The cast and crew on this production bring Narnia to life beautifully. A must-see for a return to the theatre and to rediscover a childhood classic.

My rating for The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe: ★★★★★