Entertainment

Published: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Stage: a Handsome 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' at PCPA

C.S. Lewis’ classic fantasy allegory takes the stage in a memorable PCPA production

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A sumptuous, dramatic version of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” is PCPA Theaterfest’s holiday production.

The enduring tale by C.S. Lewis was the first of seven “Narnia Chronicles,” which have been enjoyed by youngsters as books, films or plays for more than half a century. This dramatization by Adrian Mitchell, with music by Shaun Davey, is beautiful and exciting, but probably too intense for children under 5.

The show, directed by Mark Booher, begins on a dramatic note, with the theater shaking with the blasting sounds and flashing lights of a bombing raid on London. The four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund, are being evacuated to the safety of the country, where they will live in a strange old mansion with a kindly but mysterious professor.

As they explore their new surroundings and play games, Lucy hides in a large wardrobe (a British name for an armoire) which opens on the back side to a strange kingdom ruled by a wicked White Witch, who has bewitched the land of Narnia, where “it is always winter but never Christmas.”

To make the long buildup short, all four children find themselves in Narnia, and their exciting, magical adventures begin as they are befriended by a pair of beaver people and await the coming of the great lion king, Aslan, who will challenge the evil White Witch. They are seen as “daughters of Eve” and sons of Adam,” prophesied to come to help save Narnia.

The first act sets the scene for the high drama and gorgeous costumes of the second act. For audiences, the visuals in this show are worth the trip to Narnia. The costumes are stunning, with each big production number having its own palette of color. Knights ride hobby horse-style steeds, including a silver unicorn, all with magnificent heads color-coordinated with their riders’ costumes. The witch’s evil wolf henchmen wear mean masks, and an elegantly velvet-robed Father Christmas arrives in a beautiful sleigh. Maugrim, the White Witch’s chief of police, looks and sounds a lot like Darth Vader. The large, excellent ensemble of singers and dancers adds to the power of the drama.

Corey Jones is well cast as Aslan, the mighty lion with a golden mane and a powerful voice. When he roars, the theater trembles. His nemesis, the cruel White Witch, is played nastily by Karin Hendricks. Natasha Harris is a sweet Lucy, and Brenna Wahl is good as older sister Susan. Nicholis Sheley makes Edmund, the aberrant brother, quite childlike, and Adam Schroeder is solid as the older brother. The versatile Peter S. Hadres is a charming old professor.

When Lucy first enters Narnia, she meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus, portrayed by fine dancer/singer Michael Jenkinson. The singing is incidental to the drama, but he has one of the best songs. Elizabeth Stuart and Andrew Philpot are good (with cute costumes) as Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.

Costume designers Judith A. Ryerson and Juliane Starks deserve star billing for this show. The set is dramatic and functional, with a revolving floor that carries props and people on and off the stage. Andrew Layton is scenic designer. Matt Carpenter is responsible for the sound, which is often intense and most effective, and Jennifer “Z” Zornow is lighting designer. Callum Morris is music director, and Michael Jenkinson is choreographer.

Author C.S. Lewis is known as a Christian writer, and this tale is an allegory for the story of Jesus, his battle with evil, the crucifixion and the resurrection. The children probably won’t get it, and will just see it as a compelling, colorful adventure, but the allegory will be obvious to parents.

This is a memorable production and a fine example for today’s young people of the magic of live theater.