The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Winter Gardens Blackpool Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Cath Joyce

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is without doubt the most famous of C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia books and is about a magical land called Narnia where animals talk, there’s an evil White Witch, and a curse that’s kept the land frozen in winter for a hundred years…. with no Christmas!

I first discovered Narnia as a child and read the books over and over again, watched the TV adaptation, listened to the audiobooks and seen all the films so it’s fair to say I’m a huge Narnia fan! I was therefore very excited to be invited to the opening night of the stage production at Blackpool Opera House and couldn’t wait to see how my favourite childhood story would be brought to life on the stage.

Walking into the theatre you couldn’t help but be impressed by the amazing set. Designed by Tom Paris, it featured a huge clock face in the centre of the stage as a backdrop, highlighting the time difference between real time and Narnia time.

The story follows the four Pevensie children – Peter (Jesse Dunbar), Susan (Joanna Adaran), Edmund (Bunmi Osadolor) and Lucy (Kudzai Mangombe ) as they’re evacuated from wartime London to the safety of rural Scotland. We first meet them at the station, waiting for their journey to begin and it’s here we get our first glimpse of Shanelle ‘Tali’ Fergus’s fantastic choreography. With such a strong visually impressive start we knew straight away that this was going to be a fantastic retelling of the Narnia adventure.

Once the children arrive at Professor Kirk’s house, the magic really begins after Lucy stumbles across the wardrobe….and the doorway to Narnia, hidden in a spare room. Our first glimpse of Narnia was magical, with snow falling from above and the use of white costumes and drapes to give the illusion of winter. It was very impressive and set the scene perfectly. The lighting design was used very effectively to hide parts of the set and draw the eye into the next part of the story.

Mr Tumnus (Alfie Richards) is the first character that Lucy meets in Narnia and the bond between the two characters was really touching and just as I remember it in the book. Some of our other favourites were Mr and Mrs Beaver (Ed Thorpe and Anya de Villiers), a brilliant double act adding a touch of humour to the story.

The White Witch is played by Katy Stephens; her costumes were particularly effective and was used to spectacular effect at the end of the first half when her character rises into the air calling the dark creatures of Narnia to war..

I wasn’t sure how Aslan (the lion) would be portrayed on stage but the amazing puppetry creation, designed by Max Humphries certainly exceeded all my expectations. Moving elegantly across the stage alongside Stanton Wright (the voice of Aslan) you can almost believe there is a real lion prowling across the stage.

Rather than having a separate orchestra the cast members also play a wonderful selection of instruments, they are very much part of the show and whilst we weren’t familiar with the original songs in the performance, they really complemented the story.

Everyone in the large cast did a great job, but the scenes that really stood out were the ones where Aslan and the White Witch were on stage together. The actors perfectly captured the battle between Aslan’s strength and kindness and the Witch’s pure evil making it amazing to watch.

This is a magical show with a dark edge and whilst the stage is quite dark at times this is part of the attraction and really helps set the scene. We really enjoyed our trip to Narnia, it certainly hasn’t lost its magic and whether you know the story inside out or are discovering it for the very first time, this enchanting production is packed full of wonder and fantasy, If you’re going to see just one show this summer then make sure it is this one!

Rating: 5/5

Tickets start from £15

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is at Blackpool Opera House from 29th July 2025 to the 2nd August 2025. For more information or to book tickets, visit www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk or call the box office on 0844 770 0593

Winter Gardens Blackpool, Church Street, Blackpool, FY11HU