The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
Loughborough Town Hall
8th February 2024
The lucky people of Loughborough are spoiled for choice when it comes to their talented amateur theatre groups. Not only do they have the wonderful ESNA and LAOS companies regularly treading their boards, they also have The Festival Players, who have been busy putting together their production of ‘The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe’, which plays the Town Hall stage this week. Incredibly nearly 75 years old, the evergreen favourite tale is always a popular favourite, be it on the stage, film, or television (as those of us old enough to remember the 1988 BBC series will fondly recall).
C.S.Lewis’ classic story sees wartime evacuees Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy sent to live under the care of an elusive professor and his strict housekeeper Mrs Macready. A game of Hide & Seek sees Lucy into an enormous old wardrobe which leads to the magical world of Narnia, where she meets the fawn Mr Tumnus. He tells Lucy tales of how Narnia used to be, before it fell under the spell of the cold and cruel White Witch. When Lucy returns home, her family don’t believe her story, but soon all end up in Narnia themselves, and find themselves part of an ancient prophecy that the White Witch will go to murderous lengths to prevent from coming true. The children’s only hope lies with the great and powerful lion Aslan, whose return might finally bring an endless to the White Witch’s endless winter.
The Festival Players have done a wonderful job here and have delivered a really strong production. Director Amy Walters clearly has a love for the material and it shows, remaining faithful to Lewis’ work and retaining it’s enduring charm. Walters cleverly frames the show with an introduction based on ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ (the second book of the Narnia series which takes place before this one), giving audiences a brief glimpse into the events that led to the creation of the wardrobe, lamppost etc, and where the battle between Aslan and the White Witch first began. This enriches the storytelling massively, and reminds us of the bigger world that Lewis created in his novels. All of the story’s key events are included and delivered effectively, and even if the larger fight scenes perhaps don’t quite work as well as they should, the effort is still hugely commendable. Pace is quick and snappy, scenery and props (set design by Andy Philpott) are used well to help build the magical world, and the Aslan puppetry (designed by Steve Pledger) is particularly impressive for an amateur production.
Performances are also excellent, with all four of the leading children putting in strong performances (Elspeth McClymount-Cornall as Lucy in particular excelling). Gareth Busson and Claire Malpass are great fun as Mr & Mrs Beaver, and James Daw conveys the mighty gravitas of Aslan with conviction. Shirley Burgess very nearly steals the show as the dwarf, really throwing herself into the relatively “small” role and making it one to remember. Julie Easter is also very good as the White Witch, although she could perhaps be a few shades crueller and really lean into the evil a bit more to really sell that ice-cold wickedness we know and love.
A little show with a big imagination, ‘The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe’ is a real success for the Festival Players, and audiences will love it. Lewis’ tale will never age, good vs evil will always be a story worth hearing, and this is certainly one trip to Narnia that audiences will want to take. Inventively told and delivered with talent and a magical vision, The Festival Player’s Narnian adventure is a winner, and we look forward to taking the next journey with them.
‘The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe’ runs at Loughborough Town Hall until Saturday 10th February 2024.
Performance runtime 1 hour 55 minutes including interval.
