THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE

I found the WDS version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to be both traditional and charming.

The scenery was good and worked well, in that the cast could move round it freely, and the constraints of not using a blackout were evident – there were a couple of places when the lighting could have been slightly better-placed to ensure the side of the stage where the changes were taking place were less better lit – as the eye was constantly drawn to the changes and perhaps not the action. 

The wardrobe door was good, the children were able to open and close it without problem.

The cast all projected well, and I particularly enjoyed the children, who all gave well-rehearsed performances.

I loved the facial and verbal expressions of Connie Jenkins-Greig as Lucy, she is a good little performer and gave the part her fullest attention to detail.  I would have liked both her and Eleanor Field as Susan, to have pitched their voices a little lower.  However, that said I enjoyed what they did with their parts.

Eleanor, as the older more responsible sister gave a good performance, and kept her younger siblings in order.

Thomas Bottoms as Edmund the rebellious younger brother, tended to turn a little too far upstage at times, but a good portrayal, whilst Aidan Williams gave us a very forthright portrayal of Peter, with good attention to the comedy moments within his character – very well done, plus always good projection and expression.

Make up for each of the animals was excellent – and the costumes all fitted the parts well.  A lot of thought had obviously gone into this element and it showed.

Sara Payne as Tumnus the fawn, looked the part and created a fine relationship with Lucy.

Irene Morris was a very alert Maugrim – I noticed that even when she was not the centre of attention, for example when the Witch was talking, Irene’s eyes were darting round as if looking for intruders, and her face was alert and full of expression – I also loved her howl – very emotive and atmospheric.

Jan Westgarth looked every inch the White Witch, from her costume to make up, headdress and jewellery – all beautifully thought out – and I enjoyed her interpretation.  Loved the altercation between her and Aslan.  I thought Jan wielded the whip very well, which gave her a very menacing look.

The Witch’s carriage pulled by Bruce King as Ginarrbrik was nicely done.

Sheila Scull and Margaret Skilton as Mr and Mrs Beaver were very sympathetic characters, and dealt nicely with the children, whilst showing their fear of the Witch.

Robert Naylor-Staples was cast in three very different parts, all of which I thought he did justice to.  The Professor, a kindly but slightly other-worldly gentleman – not quite sure what to make of his unexpected visitors, and whilst happy to leave their daily care and discipline to Mrs. McCready, knew about the world beyond the wardrobe,

The next incarnation as Father Christmas showed the jolly old man – with his relevant presents to help the children make the most of their trip.

Robert’s final incarnation was as Aslan – the King, a lovely characterisation, that almost had me believing it was real!!  Such good meanings and inflections, and a very convincing roar.

Viv Fairley was the very strict Mrs McCready, a nice cameo role, and she also played a Leopard, alongside Julia Gough – again costumes were very suitable.

The slow-motion battle was very effective – I liked it, as it gave the cast a chance to think about what they were doing, and not just rush at it – and also allowed the six lovely young dancers – Olivia Appadoo, Isabelle Field, Grace Hill, Lily Hill, Ellen Park and Sophie Vaile - to show their prowess as the good and bad elements of the piece.  Peter did particularly well in the battle, a super fighting part for a young man to get his teeth into.

There were a couple of places where the cast were perhaps not paying 100% attention, and missed exits or cues – but on the whole the pace was maintained throughout.

There were some good sound effects, especially the thunderstorm with lightening – very effective, and I liked the crack of the Witch’s wand.

Overall a charming production from Julie Field, with a not always easy script, and scenes that taxed the creativity of set designer Jonathan Field, but I enjoyed it, as I am sure did the audience.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.