Pictures: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg  

The Lion, The Witch

and the Wardrobe

The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

*****

While I was unable to use the back of a Wardrobe to enter the magical realm of Narnia (the A38 had to suffice) I was excited to visit the stage production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the start of its half term run at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre.   

It’s a tricky task – to take something which has been so beloved over generations and transfer it to stage. Can it ever match the sheer scale of the film, the page turning magic of the book or the comforting familiarity of the TV series? In a word yes.

It’s a rare thing for a production to feel both intimate and also epic at the same time but this show manages it. A thoroughly modern production, it also has a comfort blanket of nostalgia – exemplified by the overture of World War II tunes being played by a pianist in Blitz garb.  

As for the production itself, there’s something marvellously old school about it all; you feel like you’re travelling with a band of performers – and what performers they are.

Katy Stephens as The White Witch and Bunmi Osadolor as Edmund

The ‘two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve’, played by Joanna Adaran, Jesse Dunbar, Kudzai Mangombe and Bunmi Osadolor are fantastic anchors for the show. Kudzai Mangombe, having played the same role at the Birmingham Rep production makes for a fabulous Lucy and Joanna’s Susan and Jesse’s Peter match her quality all the way. Special mention must go to Bunmi Osadolor, making his professional stage debut as Edmund. His performance is nothing short of superb and he has a bright future ahead of him. Often, I find Edmund just plain old irritating, so he brings a real depth to the piece and we end up rooting for him.

The production is a real ensemble piece and it was a real treat how talented an ensemble they are.

Not only are they all excellent actors with Mr and Mrs Beaver and Red Squirrel played by Ed Thorpe, Anya De Villiers and Joe Keenan respectively, being comic highlights - ‘Shame, shame’, was genuinely laugh out loud funny - but, aside from their acting talents they are also multi-instrumentalists, seamlessly switching between disciplines.

I can’t explain it but visually dovetailing the live music with the acting really does connect the audience with the performance so much more than the usual orchestra set up. Maybe it is harking back to another world, one which we yearn for as much as the Narnian’s yearn for spring.

Kudzai Mangombe as Lucy, Stanton Wright as Aslan  and Joanna Adaran as Susan

There is master puppetry on show too – with Schrodinger’s cat and Aslan showing the expertise needed to bring to life two very different sizes and personalities of animal. The combination of an Aslan puppet with the performer embodiment of Aslan, in this case Stanton Wright, worked brilliantly.

White Witch, Katy Stephens was suitably scary but not too scary, as there were plenty of children in the audience – one of the benefits of a production which spans so many mediums is the broad audience it attracts. For those interested it is rated 6+. For me, some six-year-olds might find it a little scary in parts but nothing a little hand holding won’t get them through. If the six-year-old knows the story then there is certainly nothing to worry about and the nasty bits are not drawn out, with some comedic relief to soften the baddies.

The staging is very clever indeed and the costumes are fantastic – both are the handiwork of Tom Paris. It is tricky to present Narnia on stage but he does a good job in making you feel like you are accompanying them on the journey to another realm.

Alfie Richards as Mr Tumnus

The Wardrobe portal was delivered with aplomb and it was nice to see a production which resisted the temptation to use video and computers to achieve it SFX – everything magical still felt real lending the production an air of authenticity.

To this end, the fact that there is a magic and illusion team on the production, headed by Chris Fisher, tells you all you need to know about how clever the production is at bringing the magic of Narnia to Birmingham. No spoilers but the kids I was with certainly approved.

If there is one slight negative to the performance, I’d say towards the end the fog/smoke machine got a little unruly, but that really is a minor thing and something which is certain to be fixed later in the run.

Said run, continues until May 31st and tickets start from a great value £15. Being half term there are also a number of matinee performances and tickets can be bought HERE.

Personally I think this is a fantastic family friendly show which I would happily watch time and time again, it really is that good.

You’re so immersed in the show that the time flies by and with a running time of 2hrs 15 minutes including interval, it is the perfect length for younger audience members.

If you love Narnia, in any form, then you will adore this. Grab your tickets whilst you can.

Theo Clarke

27-05-25

The view from Gen Z

*****

This performance of the lion the witch and the wardrobe was nothing short of magical. It captivated me from start to finish with its beautiful, artistic and ever changing scenery and its detailed and realistic costumes

These two things were key factors in making you feel surrounded and involved in Narnia, helping to tie the audience into the play.

Some of my favourite actors were Shane Antony Whitely as Maugrim as I thought he really showed how Maugrim is portrayed in the book which is something that many productions don’t manage.

Other standout performances are Alfie Richards as Mr Tumnus, not only for his beautiful voice and excellent overall acting but also for his amazing playing of different instruments and, last but not least, Bunmi Osadolor for his emotional and smooth playing of Edmund. Amazing considering it was his debut professional role.

I loved the songs in this and they are definitely my favourite or one of my favourite parts. Ialso  loved the use of people as scenery in the first half and wished there was more of it in the second act.

Strangely, I found the battle scene a little underwhelming, I would have liked more people on stage at once for the battle.

The length was about right for the story (2 hours 15 minutes including interval) and I was never bored and would probably recommend this to anyone aged nine or over to get maximum enjoyment.

I would definitely go again.

Hallam Clarke

27-05-25 

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