Review - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Production:
The Lion, the Witch & the
Wardrobe
Director: Richard Ellis
Date: 9th - 10th Dec ‘09
Designer - Victoria Ellis
Lighting - Gordon Hamlin
Here's what Evette Harper, Cheshire Theatre Guild's Adjudicator thought of the production:
This is an adventurous adaptation of the original story with appropriate music and songs added, accompanied by some special effects, which, altogether, make it an exciting choice for a Christmas season production. The original Narnia series by C.S. Lewis was, and still is, immensely popular with some children.
DIRECTION. (Richard Ellis.)
There was a very pleasing set for the audience to look at when entering the auditorium. The open stage with a staircase on either side leading to a curtained upper room dominated the bare stage, whilst on the cyclorama was the projected image of lamp post….an important symbol of the entrance into the world of Narnia. The staircase had a lightly dappled hue directed onto them that was most attractive and welcoming. Four rostra were upended between the two staircases and looked like pillars. How versatile these rostra turned out to be. There was a great deal of consideration given to the multiple changes of location and I appreciated the skill and efficiency in which actors had been drilled to change the setting and the props. (They also appeared to take on some of the rhythms of the background sound in doing so.) The projected images on the cyclorama were terrific; they certainly drew the audience into the journeys through sky, storms and space with the Pevensies.There were some awesome moments and experiences during those journeys! Excellent.
The physicality of the actors at the front of the stage during the closing war sequences was very impressive. Their positions over and around rostra echoed the war images being projected behind them. The skilful handling of the rostra that were turned on their sides to represent the trenches over which bodies were strewn created a modern image of the equivalent fight for sovereignty in Narnia. The moments of absolute silence were particularly thought provoking.
It is with some regret, therefore, that I have to point out that in the casting department I was somewhat bewildered at the choice of a male White Witch. Surely there were ladies queuing up for the role! We wanted to see her white, witcherly and cruel: the character from the stories by C.S. Lewis. In turn the slim young actress playing Aslan looked nothing like the wise and awesome King of Beasts. Whenever either of the characters were on stage my mind was trying to find some justification for this decision. I was distracted. I feel sure that other grown-ups in the audience (those who were familiar with the Narnia stories) would be experiencing the same. Certainly some vocal reactions confirmed this. However there was still much to be commended about the production, especially in cohesive work of all departments concerned.
VIDEO and SOUND. (Richard Ellis.)
This department played an important role in creating the magic and the drama within the production. The projections certainly illustrated the Director’s concept of a parallel world of Britain with Narnia. We, the audience, were virtually flying through space to Narnia and accompanying sound effects added to the excitement. The choice of music accompanying the changes of location underlined the mystery and magic of the atmosphere. How many different sound and projection cues were there?! The technology employed in the production was a great enhancement behind the performance. I was really, really impressed.
LIGHTING. (Gordon Hamlin.)
The stage lighting skilfully merged with or complemented the strong images that were projected onto the cyclorama. It also transferred the audience into different locations very successfully. The lighting of the stage area could so easily have been overpowered by the technical effects but it wasn’t. It certainly played a busy and important role in the success of this production. The opening scene at the railway station created shadowy corners, accompanied by the suitable sound effects of steam trains, when the evacuees were being lined up for their journeys. This contrasted with the warmer sunshine effect of the Professor’s country home. The very important moments, when the children went through the back of the wardrobe into the world of Narnia, were accompanied by a change of light synchronised with the turning of the wardrobe. Simple but extremely effective! I enjoyed the moments when characters were thrown into silhouette against a plain cyclorama. The “death” of Aslan was one of these moments, and I have made reference earlier to the scene changes where the young characters were carrying on props and changing the rostra in subtle light so that they could see what they were doing, and the audience could see their outline too. This held our interest. I have already made reference to the war sequence near the end of the production where this department worked closely with the technical department, and the actors, to produce some deeply affecting images. Congratulations.
WARDROBE. (Julie Hoskins, Ann Lloyd, Nadia Jeljeli.)
The play poses great demands on this department with so many characters to dress covering wartime uniforms through to the animal characters and the White Witch of Narnia. There were some great ideas for the animals (and scene changers), mainly through a simple idea of hood, collars and tails. The fur collars were enough to suggest they were animal rather than human and the muted tones of fawns and browns in the rest of their costume gave them the animal character that was required. I thought the tails of the Mr and Mrs. Beaver were great and the horns of Mr Tumnus together with the hoofed hands created the desired effect. Maugrin's red hat drew attention to the face of this evil character which was so expressive. The costume that was a problem was that of the White Witch. I did not mind the lurex material, or the blue rinsed hair; the shape of the dress did not help at all. The actor had difficulty in moving because the dress was too slender in style; he needed a fuller, more flowing costume in order to manage the auditorium stairs and those on the set itself. He wore high heels too which did not help his balance at all. A fuller design and a longer cloak might have been the answer so that the actor could develop more witch-like characteristics and expansive movement rather than those of a pantomime dame. The Aslan costume in turn, did not have the impact that it should: a much fuller and larger mane was required to give the appearance of a much larger head for the king of beasts. The main humans of the story, the four children, the Professor and Mrs McCready, looked absolutely right, not forgetting Santa Claus who appeared so briefly in the second half of the performance. This department contributed much to the visual impact of the production. They should feel very satisfied.
ACTORS. (Danielle Jones, Jessica Stenstrom, Katie Cartwright, Sara Faraj, Sam O’Rourke, Daffyd Shalders, Anna Dakin, Olivia Tanquist.)
I am considering these actors as one group because this is how they performed – as a cohesive unit.
I cannot praise these young people enough for being so focussed on the work that they had to do. I know that during the scene changes there were extra adults as back-up but the children seemed confident as they placed such things as the fir trees in position for outdoor scenes in Narnia, or were helping with rostra and furniture for indoor scenes. They were dressed as animals or creatures from the story and they maintained a sense of characterisation all the time that they were on stage even when working in dim lighting. The smaller props and set dressing were carried out almost to a rhythm which was fascinating for me to watch. They played the extra people roles in the opening evacuation scene with great conviction, and they moved me emotionally as they "littered" the ruins of the aftermath of an invasion in the closing moments of the performance. How still they were and right under the noses of the front row of the audience. Their stillness was awesome. They were a prime example of the type of young person that the theatre needs and wants. Daffyd also took on the role of Father Christmas bringing the gifts of arms to the children when they know that they have to prepare for battle against the White Witch. I think that counts as promotion; well done.
PETER. (Kyle Preece.)
I felt this was quite an experienced young actor. He had a strong presence on stage; he projected well and gave meaning to every word that he spoke. He was the older brother who established his rights as such and he kept his younger siblings in their place. He was also capable of being quiet and rather awe struck when he too arrived in a strange land through the back of the wardrobe. Kyle moved well in his character of Peter and he allowed the stronger emotions to show through his whole body. There was great energy in this performance. Very well done.
SUSAN. (Amelia Sefton.)
Here was another strong performance. I suspect that Amelia was older than Susan was meant to be but the plaits helped her to behave in a younger manner by playing with them and by shifting from one foot to the other, as nervous children sometimes do. (Just take care not to overplay these movements.) This actress had a clear and pleasant voice, and she captured the sensible Susan character very well. She also managed to help maintain audience belief by her responses to and with the other characters on stage. She held together the scene where Aslan begins to “rise from the dead” and her reactions were truthful and strong. Her interaction with Peter, Lucy and Edmund were excellent.
EDMUND. (Declan Baxter.)
This is perhaps the most satisfying of the four siblings for a young actor to play because he gets to become a traitor as well! Declan was very watchable because of his expressive face. He also appeared to be enjoying every moment of what he was doing and seemed really immersed in the role. (There was a danger at times when he dropped his voice to tell a lie that he could not be heard; thankfully not often.) The change that came over him after he had eaten the Turkish delight was subtly done but his reactions to Peter and Susan questioning him about this ”Narnia” was very telling to the audience. There was a bit of “The lying little toad!” about him here, exactly what was needed. He captured the changing character of Edmund very well. Comment should also be made about his still image on the battlements at the closing of the performance. He created a very strong image indeed.
LUCY. (Chloe Vincent.)
Chloe looked perfect for this character; slightly built, long hair tied back and wearing a sensible skirt with blouse and cardigan. She appeared to be very confident and played with great conviction in the earlier scenes. However she did begin to drop her voice at the end of sentences and some words were missed: it was as if she was losing energy as the performance progressed. Her arms were held rather stiffly by her sides so she needed to relax and use them more naturally. (The audience need to sense the energy within a character: that energy is directed through the voice and body movement.) The scenes between Mr. Tumnus and Lucy were delightful. There was a great rapport between the two as the story of Narnia began to unfold. Lucy was curious to hear all about it but her voice and relaxed demeanour quite rightly changed when she learned the truth about the White Witch and she wanted to return to her brothers and sister. This young actress certainly grasped the emotional elements in Lucy’s character; and her interaction with her brothers and sister was very convincing.
THE PROFESSOR. (Mike Melville.)
This is a good role to play because the character has a calming influence on everyone when they bring their troubles to him. He convinces the children that all problems and queries can be solved through the application of logic. This actor looked as if he was enjoying the role and it suited him well. He took on the aura of a professor with his white hair and smoking jacket. He also had a large house with lots of books and it was open to the paying public! This actor interacted with other characters very well and he always looked interested in what they had to say. There was an endearing quality about this professor; it was a pity that he only appeared twice in the story.
MRS. McCREADY. (Maureen Melville.)
This was an impressive performance. Mrs. McCready was a lady who set high standards for herself and others but she was also a warm and comforting character. This actress embodied all of these qualities and on stage she projected a very assured and confident presence. Her scenes were all too short. We could not ask for a better characterisation.
WHITE WITCH. (Phil Ashby-Crowe.)
There were certainly murmurs of surprise from the audience when this vision in silver lurex entered down the auditorium steps, bathed in an ice-blue light. It was certainly not the Witch that I expected nor was it the character as written in Adrian Mitchell’s adaptation. However I was eager to see the character in all her wicked intentions. At times this actor was powerful and evil but some hesitancy on lines weakened the performance on occasions. I also feel that he was not at ease in the restrictive garment that he was wearing, especially when climbing the high staircase on set. The pointing of the wand was sometimes without total conviction because he was unbalanced in the high heels. However I did enjoy the scenes with Edmund, “Is that how you address a Queen?” This witch was not without good moments of humour, with Maugrin and Grumpskin too. I think Phil would probably gain strength and confidence after a couple more performances when lines were safer. There was nothing wrong with his delivery; his voice was well pitched and clear. (I did see this production on its opening night, which I try to avoid so that a cast has a chance to relax into their roles.) The fight scenes with Aslan were not really convincing; perhaps that encounter needed a little rethinking and work on the movement element of this scene.
MR.TUMNUS. (Matthew Lambert.)
This faun is rather under the spell of the White Witch but his encounter with Lucy brings out the kinder elements of the character. This was a pleasing and intelligent characterisation, where we saw the subtle change in him when he realised he was leading Lucy towards the clutches of White Witch. The actor’s body movement was hunched and turned away from Lucy at first and he avoided eye contact, but when he had a change of heart about betraying her and wanted to help her then he was attentive, and the kindness could be heard in his voice. There was concern and gentleness there – a very satisfying performance.
ASLAN. (Rachel Keep.)
This was an attractive but rather a young-looking lion. The youthfulness belied the strength and wisdom that would be expected from this character. However, she was placed in a high position on the “Stone Table” which helped to signify the character’s importance. Rachel delivered her lines well but was rather quiet at times; she seemed reluctant to open up and use a big voice. (The technical department may have been able to resolve that problem, with mikes and echoing effects.) Her movement on the stone table were very expressive; the cutting of the mane worked well (despite Aslan looking even more slender and vulnerable) and Aslan’s dying moments at the hands of the Witch were affecting and drew some gasps from the audience.
MR. and MRS. BEAVER. (Simon Bugg, Becky Meadows.)
I am considering the Beavers together because they complemented each other so very well in the performance: a comedy duo. Their scenes were both funny and delightful. Their looks and behaviour brought back memories of the original storybook especially in those moments when responding to the children. The actors were in total control of their characters. The scene inside the Beavers’ house was full of warmth and laughter and this reached into the audience. Both Mr and Mrs Beaver handled their props skilfully even whilst speaking; the bags of provisions for the children were quickly put together in the hurry to get out of the house to search for Edmund. These actors knew their craft and I shall remember their performance for a long time to come.
MAUGRIN. (Naomi Savage.)
This young actress revelled in her role as chief of the Secret Police. Despite her being a baddy I enjoyed watching her on stage. She moved well and she used her expressive face to good effect. There was an evil cackle (or was it a wolfish howl?) when very briefly she made direct eye contact with the audience in order to underline an ironic comment. This was clever timing – another young actor to watch for in the future.
GRUMPSKIN. (Niall Beesley-Evans.)
This character sounds and behaves like his name with an edge of cruelty in his nature. Servant to White Witch he does exactly as he is told. This actor looked as if he was enjoying his character. He looked dangerous with a whip and he gave sly, knowing smiles when bad things were going to happen. This was another smaller role that was played with great attention to detail. Good work.
Finally….WARDROBE. (War Drobe.)
This was a highly polished performance from a very prominent character. Movement around the central area of the stage was silent and elegant. Her costume at the front was smooth and straight, but with an opening to reveal some hint of undergarment whilst the back had a rather bewitching opening with fur lining. Whenever she was on stage she commanded attention and her strong presence was exactly what was needed for a high profile production. Her co-operation was satisfying to watch.
Evette Harper (adjudicator)
