The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Published Thursday 10 December 2009 at 12:35 by Julie Watterston

This intriguingly staged production of the Lewis fairy tale works well on several levels - as a Christmas show, as an honest reworking of the Narnia classic and as a creative piece of theatre.

A scene from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke Photo: Colin Willoughby

However, director Richard Williams has attempted to be creative with his storytelling and there are moments when the different levels gel somewhat incongruously due to the use of diverse techniques. For a children’s Christmas show, the terrible consequences of the White Witch’s actions also seem like gratuitous violence for the sake of effect.

The mystical animals are portrayed in an unnerving human form with bestial voices, giving the production nightmarish but effective qualities, particularly Doron Davidson’s thunderous and commanding Maugrim the Wolf and Howard Saddler’s surreal Aslan, depicted as a Christ-like martyr.

The four children are beautifully portrayed with war-time manners and sweet innocence by David Tudor as Peter, Anne-Marie Piazza as Susan, Michael Bryher as the cheeky Edmund and Martina Horrigan as young Lucy.

Jo Castleton, Marc Geoffrey and Thomas Wilton are delightful as Mr and Mrs Beaver and Mr Tumnus respectively and Caroline Corrie excels as the White Witch. John Sandeman, Bill Uden and John Torrie complete the cast.