Edinburgh Reviews #11: The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Company: Cambridge University ADC
Venue: C – (+3)
Date: 23 Aug '07

At least part of my purpose in going to Edinburgh was to see several shows featuring people I knew (ie. personally, not in the sense of following their work). This is the first such show, a CUADC production of Adrian Mitchell’s adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It’s a slightly bizarrely written show, one of those with songs in but which often doesn’t feel like a musical because it can go for such stretches at a time without a song. It’s also a children’s show, was listed as such and did indeed have a mostly young audience. It’s fair to say I likely wouldn’t have seen it had it not been for my wanting to be supportive of the ADC generally, and of Lowri in particular (who continued her so far unbroken record of being a talented character-actor).

So those things being said, what did I make of the show more generally? Well, this being an ADC show, and having many big names within Cambridge theatre involved in its production, I was not at all surprised to see that the lighting was exceedingly accomplished, the music very professionally rendered and the direction and choreography suitably impressive. There were really no weak performances anywhere on the stage, special mention probably having to go to Megan Prosser’s White Witch and to all four of the children. The children in the audience all seemed pretty engaged throughout, and, whilst obviously I was not the target audience, I certainly didn’t regret watching it.

4/5