The LION, The WITCH & the WARDROBE

I must admit the story of the play is not one of my favourites, but this was so well done overall, that I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the play.  It was good to see two performances on the same day, as I saw many things differently from different seats.

Technically we had a theatre in the round, with beautifully painted theatre walls, depicting the ocean, the wood with a castle and the castle walls, so imaginative, and where the cast moved the props around really quickly, with precision, the whole piece being creatively lit.  A joy to see such a small space used so well.  The sleigh was well-built and easily manoeuvred, and the stone table that broke in the middle was really well thought out.

Costumes were mostly suitable, a couple of small points – Edmund’s trousers were slightly too long for both actors, and 2nd house cast he was wearing modern jewellery, plus a few costumes needed ironing!  A couple of hair styles were not in keeping with the era, i.e. Peter in the 2nd house cast.  The Fox’s headpiece was a little adrift in the 2nd performance, which needed tidying up, as I did not notice it in the 1st show.

Sound is always a little difficult to gauge in a long theatre space, I sat in different seats for each performance, and in the main the children, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy needed to slow their delivery and project more, as it was sometimes difficult to hear from the stage seats if, for example, they were in the sleigh or that area, and vice versa.  But mainly everyone achieved a good standard.

I liked the choice of music, and good to have Amanda Lawson playing a lovely interlude, which sounded like pan pipes, and blended well with the other music.

Both casts of Peter (Ryan Holgate-Sunderland or Sam Tillin), Susan (Katie Osborne or Maddison Price), Edmund (Joshua Stone or Reece Marshall) and Lucy (Matilda Dowdall or Eloise Urquhart) performed well, giving us completely different characterisations, which changed the dynamics of the play, both casts interacted well with each other and showed understanding of their roles.  Very well achieved.

Chloe White (White Witch) gave an arresting performance, very strong and commanding – excellent.  Charlie Gadsden (Driver) manipulated the sleigh well, and adopted a very taciturn speech pattern which suited the part well.

All the animal parts were performed so well, Ben Sowden (Mr Tumnus the faun) was very anxious and expressive, Dave Hillman (Mr Beaver) and Judy Palmer (Mrs Beaver) created a lovely partnership, showing a range of diverse emotions. 

Natalie Shearer (Maugrim) got the essence of the marauding wolf so well, echoed in her movement and vocalising – very well done.  Lucy Hounslow and Lola Brady (Squirrel), were both charming and very squirrel-like in their actions.  Molly McHenry (Fox) created a good character too.

Jez Cladd (Aslan) created a convincing but weary lion, delivering his lines well and with clarity.  A good foil to the Witch, and showing his gentle side with the children.

I enjoyed Lynne Melville’s (Mrs McCready) performance, very stern and forthright, again another dimension to the production.

Dave Hillman (Professor), Ben Sowden (Father Christmas), Jez Cladd (Father) and Alaina Hounslow (Mother) covered the smaller but essential parts, all in keeping with the ethos of the production.

I was very impressed with the ensemble – who had an awful lot to do, moving scenery and props, providing the narration (all in unison), very well achieved.

My thanks to TADS for their continued and much appreciated hospitality, and for a well-directed, well-performed and good technical production

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