Contributed by Annabelle King:
It was snowing in Kensington yesterday, and we saw Father Christmas. All a bit surreal in May but we were attending a preview of the new live stage show of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the incredible Threesixty Theatre Pavilion in Kensington Gardens.
For the first time in weeks, the sun actually shone and it felt like summer, but when you entered the stunning circular theatre tent you were quickly transported to the magical world of Narnia. This is without doubt one of the best theatre venues I’ve been to. With 1480 tiered seats all with unimpeded views and within intimate reach of the stage, it makes for electrifying viewing particularly for children – mine were mesmerised from beginning to end.
The production is interactive from the start with audience participation from the young actors. The special effects are magical creating such an incredible illusion of other-worldliness that you completely forget where you are. You can practically touch the snow that falls from the great domed ceiling and when the thunder and lightening struck, my five year old jumped a foot in the air. Stage production is remarkably simple yet very effective with trees on stilts, nymphs on zip wires and a very clever Wardrobe. Predictably the arrival of Aslan is the highlight. With strong echoes of War Horse puppetry, the King of Narnia is truly magnificent and steals the show.
To adapt such a rich complex story into a two and a half hour production is ambitious and undoubtedly some of the depth is lost on stage, however the main storyline is well told and cleverly brought to life, keeping it simple and gripping for children to watch. But it’s not for purist C.S Lewis fans. My husband was not as overwhelmed.
By the end we truly felt we had been on a journey with Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund through the wardrobe to Narnia. The kids were transfixed and came out with shining eyes particularly following the epic final battle scene.
The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe runs in Kensington Gardens from now until 9th September 2012.
For more information and to book tickets visit:
This posting was contributed by Annabelle King who lives in Shepherds Bush. After a crazy ten year career in advertising, she gave it all up to be bossed about by her three little girls. Her blog The Bush Babies was started in 2007, where she writes about the highs and lows of parenthood and raising three little girls in London.
