The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe   8th May – 9th September 2012 The threesixty Theatre Kensington Gardens (by Kensington Palace) Dial Walk, Kensington Gardens, London, W8 4PT High Street Kensington Tube (10 minutes’ walk) Box office: 0844 871 7693 www.lionwitchtheshow.com

My son and I recently ventured into London to see the production of C.S Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. This production was adapted and co-directed by Robert Goold and Michael Fentman and was held in Kensington Gardens in the stunning new Threesixty Theatre. The theatre was very different from any we had been to before. With fewer than 1500 seats in a tired circular arrangement we had a great view. We were treated to 360 degree projections in the theatre tent throughout the production, bringing a magical element to the story which was presented through a combination of live theatre, stunning effects and puppetry. Clever use was made of the wooden stage, much to my son’s delight, as characters magically appeared and disappeared through the trap doors. The Huge wardrobe through which Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy were transported to Narnia was creatively used; as the wardrobe sunk into the stage, the children floated through the air with a back drop of wintery scenes. The Children were excellent and my son thought they looked exactly right!  The White Witch gave a great performance filled with energy and flair, although somewhat dark in the second act. Mr and Mrs Beaver were brilliant and my son loved the many magical animals and characters especially when they were flying using high-wire acrobatics. The Lion Aslan was a huge impressive puppet, brought to life with a booming voice and so skillfully worked that we forgot that there were people operating him. We went to the matinee performance and afterwards, as it was a lovely day, we had a walk around the park. I would recommend this show to anyone because it is a fabulous story, exciting to watch and very different.