The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Bord Gais Energy Theatre – Review
by Brian Merriman

C.S Lewis wrote seven stories that make up the Chronicles of Narnia, of which The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the first and the one that secured the Lewis collection, first published in 1950  would remain a firm favourite 75 years later. It returns to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in style this week.

The musical play is set in wartime Britain, and seeing it on stage on the 80th anniversary week of VE Day resonated with me. We meet four wartime evacuees, siblings Peter, Lucy, Edmund and Susan. The opening wartime favourite ‘We’ll Meet Again’ sets the scene in an almost Hogwarts train journey that finds these four Londoners in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and housed in the home of an eccentric Professor, a warm Kraig Thornber.

The family unit is well cast and well balanced. The Daughters of Eve – an impressive Joanna Adaran as Susan and a lively and endearing Kudzai Mangombe as Lucy are equally brave partners with their restless brothers, a suitably heroic Jesse Dunbar as Peter and a complicated Edmund, a strong study by Bumni Osadolor – the sons of Adam. The playing by older actors of adolescent roles was convincing and a key to the success of any demanding touring show.

Adam Peck was the writer in the room when this piece was adapted from page to stage, and in that, he has done a very good job in storytelling for the theatre. The first half has few songs, but more feature in Act Two. The music has a nice English folk flavour to the songs and dances. When playing to an Irish audience, we can’t help but hear the jigs and reels potential of the well-arranged score. The more Morris dancing style of the well-executed choreography by Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus just yearned for a good ‘Riverdance’ routine or two to get the audience rocking in the aisles.

This touring production is slick, well-executed and multi-faceted under Michael Fentiman and his talented team. The magical effects, the flying, the excellent properties, puppetry, lighting and costumes, all transported us to Narnia through the magic wardrobe. It is a visual treat.

Narnia has a sad and dark story. Under the control of the menacing Katy Stephens as The White Witch, who has cast the land into a permanent winter. The production is quite dark and is true to the novelist’s intent.

I was curious as to how the very young who were there in numbers might respond to the darkness of the characters and plot. Clearly, they are already fans and were enraptured by the challenges and dangers faced on stage by their timeless heroes. They lapped up the evil and the redemption with enthusiasm and approval. And after all, they know this story better than most. It is the imaginations of generations of children that have ensured the connection of good, evil, challenged and related by Stanton Wright’s well-delivered Aslan – with impressive live animated puppetry, endures with today’s generation of young Narnians.

The multi-talented ensemble deserves a special commendation. Their costume changes, prop manoeuvring, singing, acting, puppetry, flying and playing multiple characters with solo lines and vocal lines were endless in their energy and performance. What a talented bunch!

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is making a welcome return to Dublin. The quality of this production will ensure it won’t be our last visit to Narnia on a Dublin stage.

Crew –

Producers: Chris Harpur Productions and Catherine Schreiber et al
Based on the original production by Sally Cookson
Director: Michael Fentiman
Choreographer: Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus
Set and Costume Designer: Tom Paris
Musical Director: Ben Goddard Young
Composers: Barnaby Race and Benji Bower
Dramaturg and writer in the room: Adam Peck

Based on the book by C.S. Lewis
Duration 2 hours and twenty minutes including interval.