“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Esther, William and I were recently invited on the most magnificent adventure.

We travelled from the far land of Spare Oom, through the bright city of War Drobe to a magical land where it is always winter but never Christmas.

Narnia

Have you been to Narnia? If not, you really should. We heartily recommend it!

We were taken from the dark nights and flashing skies of the blitz to a large rambling house in Scotland and from there on the most magical journey of imagination, awe and wonder.

The production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe begins as it goes on with song and movement leading the storytelling. Clever stage craft takes you by the hand and leads you seamlessly from scene to scene, from world to world.

I LOVED the use of the stage in this show, I loved how suitcases became train carriages, skirts became screens for shadow puppets, lampposts rose out of pianos. People become props throughout the show holding light fittings, creating new spaces and rooms, allowing the scenes to flow together. A billowing white tent lowered from the ceiling becomes both Mr Tumnus’s home and the Beavers’ dam. The children and I kept exclaiming at how clever things were and how much we liked how different scenes and events in the story had been created.

I LOVED that the supporting cast were not only actors but also singers and musicians, some playing multiple instruments and coming together in character as wandering storytellers. Every member of the cast was brilliant but the standouts for the children and I were Lucy Pevensie, Mr and Mrs Badger, Professor Kirk and the Head Cruel.

The actors in these roles made us cry, made us laugh and gave us lines that we are still repeating to one another regularly with huge grins on our faces.

Naughtiness, greediness … emptiness.

We could have a party.

Surprise!

And the partridge is en route to the pear tree. Over.

Confirmed. The toad is in the hole. Over.

The Cruels as a group were awesome. They stole every scene they were part of and made us wish that The White Witch showed a little more of their fire and punch. They were a highlight of the show for us for sure.

The portrayal of Aslan through puppetry was stunning. We loved the puppet and the man and the way they combined together to bring the character of Aslan the Lion to life.

The play felt familiar as we know the book so well but it was also fresh and unique in its illustration of this much loved story.

The four Pevensie children showed sibling love, affection and squabbles perfectly. They showed courage and fear, jealousy and loyalty well. We believed in them and that is testament to the young actors playing them.

We absolutely loved The Professor and his cat, Schrodinger. Genius name for a cat who lives in a place where there is a portal to a land that no one is sure exists or not, no one knows for sure whether the land lies through the wardrobe or not. We loved the puppetry of the cat and were not surprised to learn it was the same actor who played our favourite, the Head Cruel.

There was so much awe and wonder in this production. Showing the children travelling through time and space as they stepped through the wardrobe, the use of aerial stunts and magnificent puppetry, the folksy feel of the music that wrapped itself round your heart and lead you through musical scales of emotions. We loved the use of the clock face and pendulum combined with incredible lighting to add height and depth to the staging.

This was a whimsical, charming production peppered with poignant moments, a story told with heart and humour, punctuated with awe and filled with wonder.

We loved it and are so grateful to The Marlowe Theatre for our press tickets in return for our honest review.

We absolutely adore The Marlowe. The last two years have been incredibly challenging for theatres but our local theatre is going from strength to strength and we are incredibly proud of the tiny role we play in promoting the wealth of amazing shows that come to Canterbury for Kent families to enjoy.

Here are some of the shows coming up in 2022 that we are super excited to see

Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker

Singin’ In The Rain

School of Rock

Animal Farm

Anything Goes

Dreamgirls

Waitress

We Will Rock You

Mamma Mia

Les Miserables

South Pacific

And, of course, this year’s Marlowe Panto Sleeping Beauty!!!!

Theatre is back

The magic is back

What are you hoping to see at the theatre this year?