For our Speak Out trip last term, we went to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at The Curve theatre. I had actually seen the same play a few months before at the Leeds Playhouse, and I fell in love with it, so I was ecstatic to go again.
Almost every aspect of the show was a new, refreshing idea. The music, while fairly plain, was one of those aspects. While all the songs had their own individual tone and genre, there were recurring themes throughout: the piano was consistently delicate and tinkering, the violins and string instruments soared. Even the squealing jazz and soft guitar songs had similarities, and all the songs held a distinct voice unique to the play. But the truly unique aspect of this show was the combination of ensemble and orchestra. An upright piano was integrated as part of the set, and, wherever possible, the music was played on stage right next to the characters. The members of the orchestra were given costumes (and in some cases roles) to make them blend seamlessly into the crowd, giving it a wonderful, fantastical feel. Speaking of costumes…
For the most part, I found the costumes to be pretty ordinary: 1940s children’s clothes for the siblings; a smart, cozy outfit for Mr Tumnus; somewhat military attire matching the markings and fur for the animals of Narnia. However, there was still a very Avante Garde touch to the occasional character. Their interpretation of Father Christmas was definitely out there. I was a huge fan of the costumes for the ghouls and monsters of Narnia – each was a cloaked figure with a huge papier mâché head resembling various skulls or shrunken faces: My favourite costume of all, though, was Maugrim. It was a very minimal interpretation of a wolf – there was no fur, no fangs, no typical features. His snout was a simple leather mask, with features of gas masks of the era, echoing back to the war of England at the time (a running motif in the original novel as well). To get around on all fours, short forearm stilts were used. These too were kept entirely bare-boned – just simple, black, scaffolding[1]looking structures. The entire concept of Maugrim’s costume was just so genius.
Aslan’s portrayal was, as expected, a very magnificent thing. Both a puppet and an actor were used (the actor to speak the lines and the puppet to… be a lion). The puppet was a very large structure, operated by three people dressed in plain brown. One directed the head, one carried around the back half (interestingly, Aslan had no hind legs) and controlled the tail, and the last moved the front legs using, again, forearm stilts. These differed slightly to Maugrim’s (something I wouldn’t have been able to decipher if we hadn’t sat so close to the stage), being a different model that more closely resembled modified forearm crutches (presumably because they didn’t have to be visible).
My favourite aspect of the entire show was the physical theatre. Using simple props and expert costumes, the ensemble managed to completely immerse me. For instance, people in white cloaks were used to create the image of snowy trees, or a choreographed dance to represent the train ride. This practice isn’t exactly uncommon in theatre, but I’ve never seen it used the way this show did. I don’t even have words to describe it, except that it was such an incredible performance.
Other Speak Out members talked about their favourite bits too: they liked the train ride just as much as I did, along with the scene with the White Witch before the interval. They thought it was well[1]produced and visually pleasing. Overall, it was a great show. If you went to see it too, we’d love to hear your take on it. Why not send us an email to speakout@hcyc.org.uk and tell us your thoughts.
