After seeing Lungs I spent the evening at the Bridge Theatre, to see their new production of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The play was originally staged 2 years ago in Leeds, and the 'Aslan' puppet from that production hangs in the foyer at the Bridge, having been replaced by a bigger version for the show.
The Narnia books meant a lot to me growing up, and I remain attached to them despite their flaws, so I was a little apprehensive about whether the show would do them justice.
However, I felt, on the whole, that it works pretty well, although not everything is to my personal taste - I could happily have lost most of the musical numbers and felt the initial sequence (of the Pevensie children being evacuated) while very clever, goes on too long. Given that this is a show aimed at children, and already goes on for almost 3 hours, I did feel that it could be a little shorter and tighter. In fairness, I did go to the first preview so it may move along a little faster once it beds in.
The set is relatively simple, the stage mimics cracking ice, and other effects include parachute silk billowing across the stage as snow, gauze drapes to show those characters who have been turned to stone, and a live, on-stage band.
The White Witch owes more to Tilda Swinton's portrayal than to the illustrations in the book, and Laura Elphinstone manages to portray her as frightening without being too 'pantomime villain. (production image here Wil Johnson as Aslan is as very impressive, although I can't help but feel that having the Lion puppet absent during some of his time on stage doesn't quite work for me, it doesn't seem quite in keeping with the spirit of the books!
However, despite these minor niggles, it is good fun, and very clever,with lots of humour, and some very clever staging. Definitely a fun christmas show, which children will enjoy.
