Review: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, UK Tour, at the Lowry, Salford

My first review of 2022!! Happy New Year everyone, I hope you're all doing ok as you're going back to work (urgh!); but hopefully this will make the holidays/excuse to fantasize about other worlds a little bit longer... 

One of the Lowry's Christmas 2021 shows (as well as SIX) has been The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, an adaptation of the classic C.S Lewis story that started out in Leeds, then played the Bridge Theatre on the South Bank, and is now on a UK Tour, directed by Michael Fentiman (who also directed Amelie). 

The Narnia books were one of my favourite series to read as a child, as big a staple in my house as the Harry Potter books, if not bigger (personally, The Horse & his Boy has always been my favourite, but I cannot see them ever adapting it without running into cultural challenges...)

Ooops sorry, err... oh yes; well of course The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe is definitely the most well-known of The Chronicles of Narnia books, as well as the first in the series that C.S Lewis wrote, despite it being the 2nd time-wise in the series. 

When the Penvensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy, are evacuated during WW2, they come across a magical wardrobe in their new home that takes them to the world of Narnia; and subsequently in its struggle against The White Witch's tyrannical rule. 

The way this adaptation goes, the first half does feel a little bit slow. But once Peter and Susan follow Lucy (and Edmund reluctantly) into the wardrobe, THAT is when it starts to pick up. But thankfully that is the worst out of the way. 

What the show really triumphs at is the world-building 

The set is actually quite bare, but effective, built around a clock-face, as passage of time is referenced throughout - you could spend hours in Narnia but only be gone a few seconds in this world in comparison (if you re-watch Prisoner of Azkaban, it is something Alfanso Cuarón also references, coming to fruition with the reveal of Hermione's time-turner). And it needed to be bare to make use of the props (including the lamp post coming out of a piano), and for the other elements to shine. 

And where it really and truly shines is in the costumes and puppetry. 

Every single creature in Narnia has their own distinct feeling to their costume, whether whimsical or sinister, that also felt remarkably simple. Even Aslan and The White Witch's costumes had the "simple-but effective" quality, whether it be a set of shaggy dreadlocks for the mane and a big golden fur coat, or a plain white dress, crown and boots. Even the snow-decked tree costumes were something to behold, like a geisha draped in flowing white. 

This show takes the magic of puppetry, one of theatre's oldest forms, to new heights

For anyone who has seen The Lion King, this should draw instant comparisons; one example being the wolf Maugrim (played by Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (RENT)) reminding me of the hyenas get up not just in the headpiece but also in the way he moved. Similarly the headpieces for the Witch's other dark creatures were pretty creepy, some looking like they had popped out of The Dark Crystal. 

It's not all doom and gloom however, as there's the magical sense of wonder in the opening scene, turning an evacuation train into the Hogwarts Express made out of suitcases. 

There was the psychedelic in a Turkish delight monster made out of pink squares while Edmund ran towards the Witch in Cair Paravel. 

And of course there was the grand and majestic with Aslan, the one that everyone is waiting for. Uniquely we got to see both a puppet and an actor play this part: the puppet for the beast side, and the actor for the human heart. In human form, Chris Jared brought a tenderness and gravitas the part needed; loud and soft. While the puppet brought out the moments of power in him; look out for the scenes when he contemplates about going to the stone table.... Only thing that could spoil it was the women next but one to me taking pictures when the lion puppet came on... 🙅

The final point I HAVE to make is that is an actor-musician production; it may be a play, but it was a play WITH music, incredible music at that. Incredibly performed that almost made you want to get up and join them on stage. 

The finale bows and encore

Guessing Fentiman must have mentioned this to the West End Amelie cast during the run, because quite a few of that cast crossed over in this show; this included our White Witch Rachel Dawson (covering for Samantha Womack (The Addams Family)), who was good at the threatening side of The White Witch, but I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of the fake-sweetness-while-coxing-Edmund stage. I also wish had just one more scene or two - not Dawson's fault at all though. 

This is a must watch for me; the perfect family show. Ok, it may not be suitable for really young children, as there are some scary scenes with the Witch's monsters, but I think older children will be fine. They like being scared after all (well I think so anyway 😂). 

It's a show that truly excels at making the theatre a magical place - in this case literally. It had the whimsical of The Wind In The Willows, the epic-ness and spectacle of  The Lion King and the heart of Amelie all rolled into one. If you're looking to see it in Salford, the run concludes on 15th January, before continuing its tour across the UK. 

It's been a lovely reminder at just how special this book is to so many people young and old, capturing our imaginations. And let's face it - we all want to jump through that wardrobe right now....

The Aslan puppet from The Bridge Theatre's version now stands guard in the foyer at The Lowry