The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe @ the Maddermarket
A perfect theatre adaptation of a childhood favourite
Nothing starts off a performance of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe better than a really goodwardrobe. And when it came to props and scenery, the Maddermarket have gone all out: Mr Tumnus’ small homely enclave, the Beaver’s even cosier burrow, the famous sacrificial stone table and the White Witch’s infamous frozen castle to name a few. They spared nothing, which probably explains the excessive use of blackouts which did seem to keep you in the dark more often than you wanted. For the scene changes though, it was worth it.
The White Queen was amazing; perfectly villainous with a wicked evil laugh as well as looking terrifying in her all white get-up and light-up magic wand. An absolutely formidable stage presence. Now, I appreciate that neither a CGI Aslan nor the real thing was really possible but it was still odd to watch him walk on two feet like a human being. You also sometimes got the impression that you’d missed some kind of significant communication between him and the other characters when he kept on roaring at them. The acting was a bit on the exaggerated side at points and it’s odd to watch older teenagers play kids who are 13 at the eldest. Nevertheless, their characterisations were perfect and they captured the particular niches of each sibling faultlessly.
The children in the theatre absolutely loved it and I would definitely recommend it as the kind of theatre performance to bring your kids to, especially with Santa Claus making an appearance right before Christmas! All in all, the Maddermarket’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a perfect theatre adaptation of a childhood favourite of mine and I was left with only one question at the end of the night. Can Aslan fly?
8/10
