The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Bridge Theatre

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Bridge Theatre | Theatre review
26 November 2019
Connor Campbell
Avatar
Connor Campbell
26 November 2019

It’s painful to say this as someone who, as a child, rewatched the BBC’s adaptation of the book over and over on VHS, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is pretty boring. One-dimensional characters, a plot that increasingly devolves into allegorical tosh, and an irritating amount of twee Englishness. But you know what? In the hands of Sally Cookson, none of that really matters. ​

Evacuated to the countryside – the production is quick to establish the drama of this disorientating exile, even if it’s a thread that isn’t particularly woven through the rest of the show – the four Pevensie children arrive at the impressive house of the Professor. With the grounds out of bounds due to the weather, the kids go indoor exploring, eventually leading the youngest Lucy through the titular armoire and into the path of Mr Tumnus. From here the children gradually get drawn into the world (and wars) of Narnia, a land trapped in a never-ending winter.

The toolbox used by Cookson and designer Rae Smith isn’t that flashy or extensive. And yet the magic conjured on stage is only enhanced by the wonderful practicality of the direction. Malevolent snow and frost are as simple as some huge white sheets, given their own personality by the way they billow and pour. The moth-ridden fur coats that fill the wardrobe are physical creatures. Almost every element of Narnia is anthropomorphised by the ensemble, bringing to life CS Lewis’s land of constant vigilance and warring factions. Here Narnia is the play’s greatest character.​

Not to say there isn’t fun work among the actors. Laura Elphinstone’s White Witch is – ahem – chilling, while Beverly Rudd and Dean Nolan bring a healthy dose of jolly wartime pragmatism to their commando-style Beavers. There’s also a fantastic appearance from musician Tim Dalling as an accordion-playing Father Christmas – Mr. Claus and his reindeer band going a bit “O Santa, Where Art Thou?” in the best of the show’s hit-and-miss musical moments. ​

Though most of the play’s problems stem from the source material – John Leader’s sour and petulant Edmund is the only interesting Pevensie – the show itself makes a couple of missteps. Wil Johnson’s Aslan, i.e. Disney’s The Lion Christ, is a cookie-cutter saviour without much gravitas. And the ending sequence sees the classy presentation swapped for a design more in line with a school production of Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo. ​

It is a testament to Cookson’s ability to make you feel like a wide-eyed child, then, that these issues amount to nitpicking in the face of her warming journey through the wardrobe.

★★★★★

Connor Campbell
Photo: Brinkhoff/Moegenburg

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is at the Bridge Theatre from 9th November until 2nd February 2020. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Watch the trailer for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe here:

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

The Secret Connection – Online

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

Cruise – Online

★★★★★
Emma-Jane Betts
Read More

A Splinter of Ice at Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Online

★★★★★
Francis Nash
Read More

Distance Remaining – Online

★★★★★
Sophia Moss
Read More

Doppler: Grid Iron theatre company document the story so far

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Disenchanted Online

★★★★★
Regan Harle
Read More

Thick’n’Fast: General Secretary Online

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

Living Newspaper – Edition Three at the Royal Court Theatre Online

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

Hysterical! The Hilarious History of Hystery at Theatre Royal Stratford East Online

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Connor Campbell

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

★★★★★

Dates

9th November 2019 - 2nd February 2020

Price

£15-£69.50

Links & directions

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • London’s best pizzas for takeaway and delivery
    Food & Drinks
  • The Year Earth Changed
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Syml – Dim EP
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Ride or Die
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Weezer with the LA Philharmonic and YOLA at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • London’s Michelin-starred restaurants open al fresco right now – and all those re-opening in May
    Food & Drinks
  • Live from the Barbican: Moses Boyd
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • The Secret Connection – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Cruise – Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Birdy at Wilton’s Music Hall Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Jonny Lake and Isa Bal on opening Trivet, winemaking and moving on from the Fat Duck
White Christmas at Dominion Theatre | Theatre review