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The Lion, The Witch and The WardrobeReview of the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatrical productionIf you want to organise a truly special theatrical treat for the family this winter, there is an alternative to the unspeakably tacky modern pantomime with its soap stars and crass attempts at contemporary humour. Book up instead for a truly magical entertainment. I refer to the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Stratford-on-Avon. This production had a highly successful and critically acclaimed run both in Stratford and in London last winter. How delightful that there should be this second opportunity to visit the deep magic of Narnia. The story, for those who have led a Narnia-free existence ('What do they teach them in these schools?' as the Professor would say), centres on the adventures of four children evacuated to a big country house during the Second World War. A wardrobe becomes the doorway to a parallel universe, a fallen one like our own, where 'it is always winter and never Christmas' due to the tyrannical rule of the White Witch. How her power is broken and Narnia restored forms the substance of the story. But there is a deeper story, of the redemption of the children, in particular the objectionable Edmund, and of the opening of their eyes to a new world. Theirs is a spiritual journey, and they are irrevocably changed by it. Adrian Mitchell's dramatisation is encouragingly faithful to Lewis. Devotees will recognise whole chunks of dialogue lifted from the pages of the original classic. All the themes and nuances are there and Christian hearts cannot fail to be warmed. Making the leapIt takes a few moments for the audience to make the imaginative leap required by children being played by adults, and animals, mythical beasts and trees being played by humans. But it is a very few moments; the acting is all that you would expect from so distinguished a company. The animals capture the appropriate feline, lupine or equine movements exquisitely. The beavers are just as Lewis describes. There are a number of songs in the play. This is the weakest element, for, in many cases, the words are poor and the tunes unmemorable. However, there are exceptions: the Beaver's song Swiggle down the lot provides a comic interlude in Gilbert & Sullivan style; and the stirring Come to the table is effectively a gospel invitation and a visual triumph. The strongest element in the production, apart from the script, is the staging. Great and fascinating use is made of trap doors. The faun's and Beaver's houses, the children's bedroom, the professor's study, all appear from below. The wardrobe revolves and takes us and the children for one world to another. Turkish Delight appears with a flash of the Witch's wand, leaving the audience baffled. Magic indeed! Go and see it if you can, and be entranced. Esme Shirt The RSC production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is in repertory at Stratford until March 5 2000. Box office: 01789 403403. © Evangelicals Now - January 2000 |