We can start celebrating Christmas now that Leeds Playhouse has opened its Festive Season offering. Over the years these shows have become the yardstick against which others are measured. Last year’s production of Oliver! which I sadly had to miss as I was in hospital, and was sold out by the time I recovered, won many awards and received five star reviews in the national press. I am sure that The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe will do just as well.
The book, by C S Lewis, on which this show, Directed by Michael Fentiman, is based, was published in October, 1950, so just about a year younger than me. I must admit to not having heard of it until it was made into a television series in 1967, by which time I was a bit old for it. Even if I had been familiar with the book during childhood it would have been a bit posh for a slum kid from East Leeds to bother with.
Bunmi Osadolor (Edmund) Jesse Dunbar (Peter) Kudzai Mangombe (Lucy) Joanna Adaran (Susan) waiting for the train, or the bus replacement service.
The story is fairly straightforward in that four children; Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, are evacuated from London during the 1940 Blitz. This was a common practice in which youngsters living in heavily bombed areas were moved to other parts of the country, usually rural areas, where it was deemed they would be safe. Only the children moved, the parents stayed where they were. This was obviously traumatic for all concerned, but the lesser of two evils. It also gave city kids a taste of bucolic life.
The train bound for Scotland
In the book, they are sent to the English countryside but in the show the train on which they are travelling is bound for Scotland. It matters not a jot, or Scot even, as all the action is set within the house of Professor Digory Kirke, which Lucy decides to explore. She discovers a wardrobe in one of the rooms and steps inside. It turns out to be the portal to the magical world of Narnia, inhabited by creatures who have never seen a human being. She meets a faun named Tumnus, who invites her to his cave for tea. This puts him in an invidious position as the self-proclaimed ruler of Narnia, actually The White Witch, has put a bounty on any humans who might stray into the kingdom, her aim being to kill them. Lucy discovers that the White Witch has cast a spell to keep the land in perpetual winter, a bit like this year in the UK.
Kudzai Mangombe (Lucy) and Alfie Richards (Tumnus) taking tea.
When she returns to the real world, she tells her siblings what has happened, but they don’t believe her as she has only been gone for a couple of minutes in their time. Edmund, however, follows her into the wardrobe where they becomes separated and he is captured by the White Witch who treats him to as much Turkish Delight as he can eat. She promises him more and also to make him Prince of Narnia if he brings the other three children to her.
Katy Stephens (White Witch) plying Bunmi Osadolor (Edmund) with Turkish Delight
All four do go through the wardrobe but can’t find Tumnus as he has been arrested for treason, having not delivered Lucy to the White Witch. They do, however, befriend Mr and Mrs Beaver who say that her rule will end when ‘two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve’, the way in which humans are referred to, sit on the four thrones of Cair Paravel, and the true ruler of Narnia, a great lion named Aslan, returns to The Stone Table. At that moment, Aslan does reappear in Narnia and the plot thickens.
Aslan, The Lion, with his human incarnation played by Stanton Wright
Edmund decides to go to the White Witch’s castle for his Turkish Delight and elevation to royalty. He gets neither, discovering that the castle is strewn with her enemies who have been turned to stone. The Beavers and the remaining three children go looking for Edmund, who has now informed the White Witch that Aslan is back.
Kraig Thornber (Father Christmas) with the orchestra of animals and the dancers.
Who should then make an appearance but Father Christmas, bearing gifts for the children. No Barbie Dolls or train sets for them, no, he hands out a range of weaponry for their safety. Given the state of knife crime at the moment, I really did wonder if giving a young girl a fairly substantial blade for Christmas for her own safety, was a good message to send to the youngsters in the audience. But what do I know? Actually, her brother got a sword and shield, so I suppose a six-inch blade was not too bad.
The children and the Beavers arrive at the stone table where they watch Aslan and the White Witch negotiate a peace deal, but she reneges on it and kills Aslan. There follows a battle between the Witch’s army and the Narnian Army in which the kids are involved. It struck me as ironic that they had been sent the length of the country to avoid being involved in a war, only to end up in another one, but that might have been the point.
All ends well, the Narnian Army triumphs and the witch is slain, thus resulting in global warming and an end to perpetual winter. Tumnus, who had been turned to stone, is resurrected by the utilisation of a loophole in the contract dealing with the punishment for treason, and The White Witch is petrified in his stead. Aslan is also brought back to life. When the children arrive back at the house, they tell their story to Prof. Kirke, who surprises them by acting as though he had known all along about the secret portal to Narnia and prophecies that they will return one day when they least expect it.
Katy Stephens (The White Witch) suspended high above the stage, looking like a snow globe.
Obviously, a story which is set in a fantasy world requires a lot of special effects. In this show we had the balance between the gobsmackingly outrageous ones, especially the one which closed the first half, and the more low tech, such as the animals represented by humans in hats. Aslan was handled particularly well, being a huge puppet, manipulated by a couple of actors but having a human alter ego who delivered the lines and performed a lot of the action. There was also a scene with dancing Turkish Delight.
The acting was superb, especially the children; Joanna Adaran, as Susan, Jesse Dunbar, as Peter, Kudzai Mangombe, as Lucy and Bunmi Osadolor as Edmund. This was doubly impressive as all were making their stage debuts. Alfie Richards who played Tumnus added a bit of light relief in the land of Narnia which was otherwise a dark and threatening place. Katy Stephens was very imposing as The White Witch, her underlying evil bubbling under the surface, despite her being elegantly clad in white and appearing to be nice to Edmund. Kraig Thornber brought just the right amount of childlike eccentricity to the part of Professor Kirke, making him amusing but believable. The human version of Aslan was played by Stanton Wright, resplendent in a huge fur coat echoing the charismatic presence of the lion itself.
Kudzai Mangombe (Lucy) Andrew Davison (Schroedinger the Cat)
The effect of the puppetry varied. Obviously Aslan the Lion was a force to be reckoned with and operated by two people, one inside the structure and the other guiding it externally, but the professor’s cat was a bit small when compared to the puppeteer who overshadowed it. As already mentioned, most of the animals were portrayed by the members of the orchestra in appropriate headgear to signify their species, adding a touch of surrealism to the proceedings.
The dancers, choreographed by Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus, were all on top form adding a lot of energy to the piece, as did the very realistic fight scenes, directed by Jonathan Holby.
There was a lot of aerial work with people dressed as birds and, at one point, the White Witch, hoisted high above the stage. All was very impressive.
I am not big on fantasy – behave! – but even I could appreciate how good this was and it is a must-see over the Christmas period. Be warned though, it is very dark in places so not the usual fluffy festive fare.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe runs at Leeds Playhouse until 25th January, 2025. For full details and bookings please go to https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-2/ Better be quick as extra dates have already been added to meet demand.
It will be touring extensively throughout the UK and Ireland next year. For a list of dates so far it is https://www.lionwitchonstage.com/tour-dates
For other productions at Leeds Playhouse see https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on/
Photographs by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Just as an aside, the pub next to the theatre is called The Wardrobe and the mischievous part of me really wants to go in there and ask for a ticket to The Lion, The Witch and The Playhouse.
Tyke It To The Limit 