The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - UK Tour Sadlers Wells - Review

75 years ago, the imagination of countless readers was captivated by the creation of Narnia, fresh from the mind of C S Lewis, that invited them through the wardrobe into the land of eternal winter, ruled by the evil White Witch and rescued by four brave children. It is a story that has stood the test of time, and now under the directorship of Mike Fentiman, the stage production of ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ continues to enchant both children and adults looking to recapture the magic of childhood.

Telling the story of the four Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, played here by Jesse Dunbar, Joanna Adaran, Bunmi Osadolar and Kudzai Mangombe respectively, as they are evacuated from war torn London to the Scottish manor house of a distant relative (the professor played by Kraig Thornber). There they stumble through a mysterious wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where the ruthless White Witch (Katy Stephens) maintains a constant winter and turns anyone who tries to fight her into stone. But with a prophecy that two daughters of Eve and two sons of Adam will sit on the royal thrones and the mythical all powerful Lion Aslan (Stanton Wright) on the move, can the Pevensie’s and the animals of Narnia save Narnia?

Combining puppetry, actor musicianship and the clever use of the ensemble playing multiple parts, this is a beautiful production that captures the childlike magic of the story without shying away from its darker elements. There may be the mystic world in a cupboard, mythological creatures brought to life, animals that talk and a witch that makes sweets appear out of nowhere, but Narnia is a world at war, and we see children at the very heart of it, armed with weapons and fighting to the death. But this darkness is well handled, with the promise that good will conquer over evil and there will be a happy ending.

Dunbar, Adaran, Osadolar and Mangombe make for an easy to love believable family. Away from their parents, eldest siblings Peter and Susan become the voices of authority whilst Lucy is the innocence, the one who finds the wonder in everything. Edmund is the spark of sorts, the one who ignites the fights between the siblings, teasing and bickering. With Mangombe’s sweet and warm-hearted Lucy leading the way, together they not only discover Narnia but rediscover their own belief in the impossible. Katy Stephens as the White Witch exudes power and commands attention, the combination of grace and determination making her a love to hate villain.

Whilst we see a plethora of creatures throughout, including birds, foxes, squirrels and reindeer, the ones we best get to know are fawn Mr Tumnus, played by Alfie Richards, and Mr and Mrs Beaver played by Ed Thorpe and Anya De Villiers. Richards creates a warm, kind Tumnus who simply dreams of the old Narnia, spring evenings, music and celebration, building an amazingly charming relationship with Mangombe’s dear Lucy. De Villiers’ Mrs Beaver is strong, a natural leader and loving guardian of sorts to the Pevensies whilst Thorpe’s Mr Beaver earns many a laugh with his over excitement and comments, between them, a lovely bantering couple leading the way.

We can’t talk about ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ without talking about the lion himself. Aslan, the all powerful beast of Narnia. Here the role is a combined effort, with Stanton Wright’ decked out in a fur coat and powerful stage presence, creating his voice and the human element that the children become so attached too, and Molly Francis, Rhodri Watkins and Andrew Davidson controlling a vast puppet that is the lion himself. This is incredibly impactful, with the first entrance of Aslan earning gasps from the audience.

This is a production full of music, with the vast majority of the cast playing instruments live on stage, further adding to the magic. From the prophecy laden battle song of the animals, to the joyful Father Christmas song that sees the stage filled with dancing reindeer, and the instrumentals that perfectly backdrop the action, it is beautifully crafted.

There is something enchanting about this production, the way in which it weaves the much-loved story with puppetry, music and gorgeous costumes. The large set pieces that give the stage a second level, allow the witch to soar and create grand entrances of iconic characters build a thrilling atmosphere as we are taken from the warm cosiness of Tumnus’ house to the battlefields and back again through the fur coat filled wardrobe, it is all a part of the adventure. This show takes the 75 year old tale of Narnia and breaths new, fresh life into it, floods the magical land with music and introduces the story of the four Pevensies to a new generation, whilst reigniting a love for it in the hearts of those who have previously experienced it.

‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ continues its UK Tour until January 2026 visiting Bristol, Bradford, Hull, Aylesbury, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Sunderland, Southampton, Plymouth and Salford.