Four star review of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Leeds Playhouse
Stage: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Leeds Playhouse Yvette Huddleston 4/5
The Christmas shows at Leeds Playhouse are always a great, family-friendly occasion and this year’s offering The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, which returns to the theatre after an initial run there seven years ago, is another fabulous production.
Adapted for the stage by Sally Cookson from the classic children’s book by C S Lewis, it tells the story of the four Pevensie children – Susan (Joanna Adaran), Peter (Jesse Dunbar), Lucy (Kudzai Mangombe) and Edmund (Bunmi Osadolor) – who during the Second World War are evacuated to Scotland to live with an eccentric professor (Kraig Thornber). They arrive at his large house and as they are settling in, start a game of hide and seek, little knowing it is going to be the beginning of a magical adventure.
Youngest Lucy finds a wardrobe in one of the rooms and is the first to enter the portal through to the world of Narnia where she meets friendly faun Mr Tumnus (Alfie Richards), taking tea and cake with him at his humble woodland home. He tells Lucy about what has happened in Narnia, how the White Witch has brought eternal winter to the realm. Lucy has a lot of explaining to do when she returns through the wardrobe – needless to say her siblings don’t believe her tale at first. Later, however, Edmund enters Narnia and meets the formidable White Witch (Katy Stephens) for himself and is coerced, with the help of some Turkish delight, into promising to bring his brother and sisters back with him…
The four young actors portraying the Pevensies perfectly capture the rough and tumble of sibling relationships – a mixture of affection and annoyance, banter and playfulness – giving authentic, relatable performances. The inhabitants of Narnia, including Mr and Mrs Beaver, March Hare, Badger, Red Squirrel and Wise Owl are brought vividly to life by a talented bunch of actor-musicians. The songs and music by composers Barnaby Race and Benji Bower have a nice Celtic and folksy feel, complemented by great, energetic choreography by Shanelle ‘Tali’ Fergus.
The use of puppetry – from the professor’s cheeky little dog to the mighty lion Aslan – adds to the sense of otherworldliness and there are some impressive effects at various points. With moments of high drama, as well as plenty of fun and humour and skilful, well-paced storytelling, this is an uplifting festive treat for all the family.
To January 25, 2025.