The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: at Leeds Playhouse Until 25 January – Unmissable

Art & Culture, Reviews

Maria Forryan
November 26, 2024

Quite possibly the best production in the entire UK this Winter.

If you only watch one show this Christmas, you need to make sure that it’s this one. Leeds Playhouse has outdone itself this festive season and produced a show that is near perfection from start to finish. Rarely can you find a show that engrosses both adults and children so completely, but this production has done so in elegant style.

Bunmi Osadotor (Edmund), Jesse Dunbar (Peter), Kudzai Mangombe (Lucy) and Joanna Adaran (Susan)

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is set during the height of the blitz in World War Two, when children were sent from the cities to live in the safety of the countryside. Four such children are Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, siblings who are sent to remote Scotland to live with a wealthy, ageing professor. As they explore his mansion, the youngest and most curious child, Lucy, is the first to discover the magical world of Narnia at the back of an ancient wardrobe.

Joanna Adaran, Bunmi Osadotor, Kudzai Mangombe and Andrew Davison (Schrodinger)

In this world, the land has been cursed into an eternal winter for over 100 years by an evil witch, proclaiming herself to be Queen of Narnia. The children soon find themselves embroiled in an underground resistance, leading to a final war for freedom. They are joined by the animals of Narnia – beavers, red squirrels and eventually, the king of animals himself, Aslan the lion.

From the very opening sequence, I was utterly engrossed. What I loved most about this production was how it emphasised so beautifully the parallel link Narnia has to the war that was gripping Europe at that time. As a child, I paid little thought to this side of the story. But as an adult, and especially as a mother, I could appreciate this
aspect of the story so much more, and the opening choral performance of the wartime classic ‘We’ll Meet Again’ brought a lump to my throat as we saw soldiers saying farewell to loved ones, children saying goodbye to parents, knowing many wouldn’t, ironically, ever meet again.

In the land of Narnia, this correlation of wars was well maintained, especially in the marching style song ‘Perseverance’, where the animals comically speak as if running a World War 2 military operation. The battle between good and evil that takes place in Narnia, that can be again linked to the battle between the Allied and Axis forces, is symbolised extremely creatively through darkness and light on stage, especially poignant as Lucy herself is given the title of ‘Bringer of Light’. The lighting on stage, created by lighting designer Jack Knowles, is utterly spellbinding, the emphasise on shadows and bright lights highlighting this theme of good versus evil. Especially impressive are the beautiful use of lighted props, such as the suitcases that glow to create a moving train.

Though the set is minimalistic in a way, the creativity brings an elegant complexity of its own, with the central feature being that of a giant clock, used to emphasise the warped sense of time within Narnia and the importance of holding sacred the time that is still to be had.

It’s hard to mention a single stand out performance in this show as the entire ensemble is phenomenal. The chorus are actually the stars here; their vocal harmonies, musicality, precise, symbolic and at times complex choreography all being utterly mesmerising. The ensemble themselves often create the environment such as the coats in the wardrobe and the trees in the snowy forest. They were particularly terrifying as the Secret Police, the White Witch’s servants, creeping around the stage in black, bent over with shaky voices like some demons from hell. Their leader, Maugrim, performed by Luca Moscardini, was frightening, with metal poles on his arms allowing him to walk on all fours, reminding me of the equally menacing ‘The Wheelers’ from ‘Return to Oz’. His physical strength and smooth
choreography created highly visually engaging fight scenes that left my children utterly spellbound.

Katy Stephens delivered an outstanding performance as the White Witch. Her arrival on a trebuchet-style machine that raised her high into the air emphasised her power and status. One of the highlights of the entire show was where she was raised into the air on a fly system, her white dress being extended down to reach the floor, making her seem like an all-powerful, tyrannical god.

Another highlight for me was Kraig Thornber in the role of the Professor. Despite his housekeeper warning the children to keep away from him, his charming character brought much comedy to the play, as did Ed Thorpe as Mr Beaver. Thornber returned to the land of Narnia in the role of Father Christmas, making this a perfect show for the festive season. The regular comedy seen throughout the show, created mostly by these characters, contrasts beautifully with the underlying darkness of the war.

The music is an absolute highlight of the show thanks to composers Barnaby Race and Benji Bower, with the ensemble performing much of the music live on stage. I loved how the one main piece of set was an upright piano, doubling as the lamp in Narnia, and regularly being played live. The music was varied in style yet somehow still kept a sense of consistency. Much of it was influenced by folk music, with the use of pipes, flowing melodies and beautifully eerie harmonies. In contrast ,there were the World War 2 inspired songs whilst one piece, ‘Beware of the Witch’ was reminiscent of a New Orleans dixie band. The music was almost non- stop and flawlessly executed throughout.

There is no doubt that I could talk for hours about the strength of this performance and why you should go to see it. I took a risk in taking my 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter along to a 7pm evening performance when they are usually fast asleep by 7.30pm. Luckily, this show was so stunning that they literally sat there transfixed for the full two hours. That being said, the age guidance of 6+ is definitely accurate. My 4 year old is well experienced at going to the theatre but it is a long time for most younger children. Plus, there are some particularly scary moments where even my 6 year old was clinging to me and covering his eyes. But these moments are fairly short and the fight scenes are over quickly. Still, I feel like the overall message of hope and resilience will be the thoughts that stick with children as they leave the theatre.

We are so fortunate to have a show that can rival anything on the West End in our very own city of Leeds that you shouldn’t miss the opportunity of seeing it. This is a show for both adults and children alike, so make visiting Leeds Playhouse your top priority this season. And remember, it’s on until 25th January so it would make the most perfect Christmas present.

I’ve never said this before, but it was that good that I’m booking to go again!