In short: Magical Winter, shame about the Lion
The Rose Theatre’s Christmas offering of ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ is a great idea, large stage with great technical facilities and a handful of adult actors support 3 entire companies of youth theatre cast to deliver the show in rotation.
The set is great, a simple design making good use of moving parts and a toweringly giant wardrobe. The youth theatre members are focused, professional, and the Pevensey children convincing. When the wardrobe first splits to reveal the shadow lit woodland set and paper snow tumbles from the highest reaches of the Rose, Christmas magic lands.
Unfortunately the rest of the show doesn’t live up to that moment. Occasionally the movement work of the youth theatre adds to the atmosphere – a lovely blitz era opening, an affecting dream state for Lucy chez Tumnus and high tension at the stone table – but the rest of the time they portray strange creature spirits adding almost entirely unnecessary narration to the action. Worse are a White Witch who postures without standing out (partly a design issue) and an Aslan with the right voice but an irritating animalistic movement which just looks silly.
Better than most panto, but only just.
Vital Stats
Show: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Company: Rose Productions (Rose Youth Theatre and Ciaron McConville)
Venue: The Rose Theatre, Kingston
Date: Sunday 28th December 2014
Event: Christmas Production
is200enough? 