C.S. Lewis : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (dramatised by Theresa Heskins)
Directed by Andrew Panton
Music by Claire McKenzie
Like most of the independent theatre companies in the country, the Royal Lyceum doesn't just stick on any old pantomime during the Christmas season, but expends imagination and ingenuity on an appropriate show for the period, usually with good results, at least according to the press. As I'm not much of a pantomime-goer, even for intelligent efforts, I've not tried the Lyceum's fare before, but the subject this time was particularly appealing. I've loved the Chronicles of Narnia for ever, long before I understood them as a Christian allegory, certainly when I was of an age with many of the children present in the theatre this afternoon. Add to that a clutch of four- and five-star reviews from the national papers, and the trip through to Edinburgh seemed worthwhile.
The ingenuity in this production was genuinely impressive, with minimal yet handsome and evocative sets, superbly lit by Simon Wilkinson to generate appropriate effects. The battle scene was particularly inspired. The English setting was kept in period - just at the start of the war, when children were regularly sent to the country, away from London, to escape the bombing. The Pevensies were played by adults, and occasionally that jarred, mainly because of height differences, or rather, lack thereof. Claire-Marie Seddon in particular, in the all-important role of Lucy, the youngest, seemed to have to spend much of her time somewhat contorted into a smaller shape, because otherwise she was looking the "adult" characters straight in the eye. However, quite aside from the stringent regulations governing the conditions under which minors can work on stage (and which would have forced multiple casts on the company) there was a good deal of singing to be done, too much for even adolescents to sustain comfortably, I think, and most of the time you forgot that you weren't seeing children.
The adaptation, by Theresa Heskins, was generally very well done. Edmund's redemption didn't quite get the space it deserved - in the book you really feel the change in him, and he wasn't given the space here for that, although Cristian Ortega certainly got the "sulky beast" side of him down very well. The other thing that I found a bit irritating was that, at times, the characters narrate parts of the story, turning to the audience to explain some things. Generally, this wasn't a problem, but when they described something to us that we could see perfectly well for ourselves - Mr. Tumnus's appearance, or the Stone Table - it sort of felt like we were being taken for idiots. Explain something too complex to show, or too time-consuming, by all means, but we have eyes in our heads, thank you, we can see Mr. Tumnus is a fawn, carrying brown paper-wrapped parcels, because that's exactly how he appeared on stage. To be fair, that only happened three times, but it was rather exasperating, enough to throw me out of the moment.
On the whole, however, Heskins kept all the right things, and dispensed adroitly with the rest, and Andrew Panton's direction was clear and efficient, eschewing needless sentimentality. The battle was extremely striking in its staging, although seeing that did make me wish that Peter's fight with Maugrim had been better done, since the production team evidently did know how to stage a good-looking fight, even with only twelve players. However, there were other, more felicitous touches. Particularly successful was a somewhat expanded role for the White Witch's sleigh-driver, who looked here a little bit like a shabby version of Gru, in an oversize coat into which his head would amusingly disappear when he was trying to avoid his mistress's displeasure, and who had a really effective nasty little snicker.
Claire McKenzie, and the lyricist Scott Gilmour provided the incidental music and songs, agreeable enough to listen to, with the lyrics not too cloying, though sometimes the music - pre-recorded - was a little loud for the cast. Ben Onwukwe in particular, as the Professor, was trying for a confidential tone of voice, but it would get a little lost behind the soundtrack. Fortunately as Aslan, he could employ a bigger tone, more easily heard. Pauline Knowles was a haughty White Witch, more of a bully than really scary, but it still worked well enough, and her first scene, the seduction of Edmund, was particularly well done. Entertaining fare for the Christmas season, therefore, with a pleasing display of imagination, and a heart very much in the right place.
[Next : 13th January. Happy New Year]
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