THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE - UK TOUR REVIEW

Last night i had the pleasure of attending the Press Night of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ UK Tour at the Grand Opera House, York. 

In this review I will detail my thoughts on this production without spoiling it (of course!)

The shining star of this wonderful production, direct from the West End, is the puppetry! Although you have to wait until Act 2 to meet the Majestic ‘Aslan’ - The way it moved across the stage was really a sight to behold, reminding me of ‘War Horse’ which was done in a similar style to this. Aslan was not the only puppet in the shoW - There was Schrodinger (The Professor’s Cat) and even a little robin. Fantastic work done by Toby Olie (Original Puppetry Director.

The role of Lucy was covered by Molly Francis who gave a wonderful performance. She captured the essence of this young and excitable ‘Bringer of Light’ who shows us the wonderment of a child as she discovers the fantastical world of Narnia beyond the wardrobe. Francis’ performance was a standout amongst others.

Lucy’s brother Edmund was played by Bunmi Osadolor making his professional stage debut in this role. Osadolor really brings the hardship of Edmund’s decisions throughout the showand plays this conflicted young man really well. 

Rounding up the rest of the siblings were Jesse Dunbar playing a very sensible Peter and Joanna Adaran as a wise and reasonable susan! 

The wicked white witch was played by Katy Stephens, who also played the character of ‘Mrs Macready’ who was comically cold. For the White Witch Stephens really shone bringing a powerful presence that would not have been as effective if portrayed as a pantomime villain. This was far from a panto performance with a fully created and truthfully devious Witch.

Aslan, the noble lion was played by Stanton Wright alongside the huge puppet. Wright’s portrayal of this iconic character was warm, kind-hearted and a true masterclass of performance. Animalistic, yet Human in an impeccable way.

This show has a particularly tight ensemble featuring characters such as Mr Tumnus (Alfie Richards), Mr Beaver (Ed Thorpe) and Mrs Beaver (Anya De Villiers). It features so much choreography and movement (designed and choreographed by Shanelle ‘Tali’ Fergus) - This is one of the most unique things about this production. I have never seen this story told in such an impressive way and every set change, every moment was done with intention and was pleasing to the eye. Another one of many reasons to see this show.

The ‘Tight’ ensemble mentioned above, not only executed their movement with slickness and ease but ontop of that were also Actor-Musicians that played the shows music composed by Barnaby race and Benji Bower. To be clear, this is not a musical in my opinion, but a play with music and sung with the most beautiful vocals. I would love for there to be a cast recording of these songs as each and every one suited the piece incredibly well. 

The cast were dressed top-to-toe in lavish costumes designed by Tom Paris - the animals were even dressed in war-time outfits which is a detail I particularly loved and have not stopped talking about since. - Paris’ set design for this show was also fitting paired with the lighting by Jack Knowles.

Overall, I think that this is a truly stunning production, a great adaptation of C.S Lewis’ ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ and a performance that the whole family would be able to enjoy. Children of all ages up to Adults of all ages! If you want to see the magical world of Narnia on the stage, then this is perfect for you. I could not find a singular fault with this production and therefore I am awarding it a full 5 stars.

If you’d like to catch the show in York at the Grand Opera House then tickets are available here. As it runs until Saturday 26th April.

The show will then continue on it’s UK Tour and so you can find more information on that here. 

23rd April 2025

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants