It’s rare to find a production that trusts its audience – especially its youngest viewers – with darkness. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe does just that. While its mood may rattle some, it rewards those brave enough to stay the course.
Directed by Michael Fentiman and based on Sally Cookson’s original immersive concept, this staging is not the sugar-spun family fare often associated with C S Lewis’ beloved tale. Instead, it’s a moody, imaginative production that refuses to pander. With a shadowy aesthetic and an unflinching tone, it balances enchantment with menace, offering something all too rare: theatre for all ages that assumes emotional intelligence – and earns it.
Lewis’ story of four wartime evacuees who stumble through a wardrobe into a magical realm ruled by a tyrannical White Witch has long been a cultural touchstone, rich with Christian allegory and mythic structure. What Fentiman and designer Tom Paris draw out here is its strange duality – the story as both fable and fission point, where war haunts even the deepest woods and imagination becomes a revolutionary act.
A key element that elevates the storytelling is the live musicianship woven seamlessly into the production. The cast plays instruments throughout, crafting a soundscape that feels spontaneous and organic. The score – composed by Benji Bower and Barnaby Race – doesn’t merely underscore the action; it breathes with it. This musical vitality enriches the atmosphere, forging a dynamic connection between the unfolding drama and the audience.
Katy Stephens’ portrayal of the White Witch is a commanding force and a defining highlight. Her glacial, venom-spined presence anchors the show’s tension and emotional stakes. With a jagged crown and coiled bearing, Stephens embodies a woman for whom control is both armour and weapon. Her performance is chilling and magnetic, carrying the production’s darker undercurrents with unwavering conviction.
Among a uniformly strong cast, Kraig Thornber stands out as a grounded, wry Professor Kirk. His early line – “Think of the mind as a parachute; it only works when it’s open” – sets the tone for a production that trusts its audience’s intelligence and resists spoon-feeding. Thornber’s calm, measured presence provides a steady anchor amid the unfolding magical chaos, with moments of dry humour that add warmth and wit.
A surprise standout is Andrew Davidson as the puppeteer of Schrödinger, the cat. Davidson’s ancient, scruffy feline – a charming invention not found in the original book – steals nearly every scene it appears in, bringing a playful lightness that helps temper the story’s darker themes.
The ensemble’s commitment and precision are another of the production’s quiet triumphs. Their collective energy animates the stage with inventive staging and muscular theatricality. Scene changes unfold with choreographic flair, seamlessly blurring into bursts of dance. Movement Director Shannelle Fergus weaves together modern technique and folk ritual, giving the piece a grounded, rhythmic pulse that feels both ancient and immediate. It’s a cohesive, physical storytelling style that refreshes even the most familiar moments.
Some design elements, by contrast, feel more restrained than in previous stagings. Jack Knowles’s lighting often shines with extraordinary momentum – silver pulses fracture the stage like magic mid-incantation, golden hues pour in with Aslan and emotional temperature shifts subtly with each scene. Yet these visual peaks feel fewer and further between. The illusions and world-building have been scaled back, and audience interactions – characters dashing through aisles or swinging overhead – are noticeably absent.
Counterintuitively, the pacing falters in the second half, where the story’s emotional peaks reside. The long, ponderous build-up to entering Narnia pays off in scenic beauty but front-loads the evening’s energy. The climactic battle and Aslan’s resurrection feel rushed, as if the production runs out of steam just as it needs to roar.
Read: Dance review: ALiCE, Sadler’s Wells, London
For those discovering Narnia on stage for the first time, this production will feel richly imagined and emotionally resonant. Long-time fans may find it less of a spectacle than previous stagings – but what it lacks in grandeur, it makes up for in integrity and intent. This is a version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that invites its audience not just to watch but to believe. ‘Make-believe is good for us,’ it insists – and in an age so wary of wonder, that feels quietly radical.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Alexandra, Birmingham
Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis
Director: Michael Fentiman
Based on the original production by Sally Cookson
Associate Director: Pip Minnithorpe
Choreographer: Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus
Set and Costume Designer: Tom Paris
Lighting Designer: Jack Knowles
Sound Designer: Tom Marshall
Composers: Barnaby Race and Benji Bower
Cast: Joanna Adaran, Shane Antony-Whiteley, Archie Combe, Andrew Davidson, Anya De Villiers, Jesse Dunbar, Molly Francis, Ruby Greenwood, Ffion Haf, Rhiannon Hopkins, Joe Keenan, Oliver Magor, Kudzai Mangombe, JB Maya, Luca Moscardini, Bunmi Osadolor, Alfie Richards, Katy Stephens, Kraig Thornber, Ed Thorpe, Rhodri Watkins, Stanton Wright
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be performed at The Alexandra until 31 May 2025 before touring nationally.
