“The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” by Blind Eye Productions
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton

This dramatization of C.S. Lewis' classic, set in the land of Narnia, faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch, and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-to-be-forgotten land of Narnia. The action features chases, duels and escapes as the witch is determined to keep Narnia in her possession and to end the reign of Aslan.

All the memorable episodes from the story are represented in this production: the temptation of Edmund by the witch, the slaying of the evil wolf by Peter, the witnessing of Aslan's resurrection by Susan and Lucy, the crowing of the four new rulers of Narnia, and more.

Rob Hurst (Aslan/Father Christmas/Professor) gets to play three very different roles, and as Aslan he seems to grow in stature, probably because of the prowess of the lion, and what a wonderful costume.

Marcia Wood (Mrs Macready/Leopard), again plays two different characters, but it's the very strait laced Mrs Macready that really makes you sit up and take note of, not only the character, but of Marcia as well.

Sally Nix (Peter) portrays a pretty convincing elder sibling, and Sally also shows off her stage combat skills in this one with some quite dramatic sword skills.

Callum Barr (Edmund) gets to play the child traitor who is swayed by the evil White Witch. I've known Callum for a few years now, and this is the first time for a while that I have seen Callum on stage, as well as in a strong lead role, and he carries off playing a character younger than his years extremely well

Madeleine Walker (Susan) I've seen in a few roles over the last year or so, but it's incredible that she takes on the whole persona of a child, making you believe the character of Susan.

Charlie Buchanan (Lucy) brings the inquisitive character of Lucy to life on stage. The exciting discovery of Narnia is instantly apparent on Lucy's face after her first visit, and Charlie brings that to us wonderfully.

Bertie Black (Mr Beaver) really gets into this character and the physicality of Mr Beaver and I love the chemistry, and fun he brings to the marriage of the Beavers.

Gill Cook (Mrs Beaver/Hag) is always a delight to see on stage, and as Mrs Beaver, she delivers a fun character-driven role, and a perfect match with Bertie.

James Waldron (Mr Tumnus) is another actor who gets under the skin of his character, and although I don't personally know any fawns, if I did, I am sure that they would be just as James portrays Mr Tumnus. He makes you feel sorry for his character when turned to stone for not doing as the witch had ordered.

Philippa Buchanan (Leopard) was unrecognisable as the leopard, as was Marcia, who played the other leopard. This is though a tribute to the incredible make up in this production.

J J Gill (Maugrim The Wolf) is also a character, thanks to the make up and wig, who I had to look twice at. This role is in complete contract to JJ's character because Maugrim really does have anger issues which really come out in this production. Great swordplay choreography delivered by JJ.

Lindsey Parr (The White Witch) would make a brilliant panto evil witch, because in this role, she really is quite frightening. Lindsey takes on a whole new and powerful persona as the White Witch, and also gets to wear some pretty impressive costumes throughout. I've seen Lindsey in several plays and musicals previously, but this evil character is one I have not seen her play, and I think I like it!

Directed by Chris Mercer, he is building up quite a CV of productions that have won awards, and with this production, while it may have looked to be a job and a half, he has managed to bring the story and the images to life brilliantly.

The light work helps us to distinguish both sides of the wardrobe. He balances the lighter moments with some quite scary moments. Chris is also responsible for the impressive, and simple at the same time, set design. I'll admit, I have not read the book but seeing this production now makes me want to search it out because I have fallen in love with this story and the characters.

There are so many things I love about this production, besides the story and the actors.

The brilliantly evocative opening with the black and white film reel of the war and evacuees, setting the whole feel of the story and era. Technical engineer Dave Martin and Projection Design by Chris Mercer.

The incredible costumes which I know took many hours of hard work to get to the wonderful standard we saw on the Duchess Theatre stage. This,as well as the amazing hair and make up were all by John Gill.

The exciting fight choreography by John Buckeridge.

Some nifty stage management by Paige Shaw assisted by Hayden Bradley.

This has rounded the year off just about perfectly for me, as this is the last theatre show, for me to review of 2019, and it's great to end off with a big success such as this one.

Here's to some more brilliant theatre in 2020; I can't wait!

Photos thanks to Gavin Mawditt