The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The Westovian Junior Society is the youth section of a thriving and successful company with an impressive tradition of excellent productions in their lovely theatre on the sea front in South Shields. This production was no exception.

The play, a perennial favourite of young people, was chosen by the members of the Junior Society and they obviously relished staging it. The set was a simple but effective black-box design with sliding panels upstage that signified scene changes and the cast deftly moved the story through the settings using what scenery and props they had to good effect. This technique relies on strong acting and the cast rose to the challenge. Ethan Bruce (Peter), Jess Henderson (Susan), Ewan Mattimore (Edmund) and Mollie Lucas (Lucy) were our constant companions for the play as they led us through the wardrobe doors. They were charming and engaging but on occasions dialogue was lost when speaking from inside the wardrobe. The rest of the cast were talented either as individuals or ensemble but the following were worth noting: Kai Newton (quite a character as Mr Beaver), Erin Atack (forceful character as the Witch), and Georgina Whale-Spencer (the frightening Mrs MacReady). Anthony Chilley played a number of parts skilfully. The stage management was slick (Lynn Davidson) and the technical support was well executed (all done by members of the Junior Society with help). A very enjoyable show prompting this reviewer to look forward to the next production.

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