Birmingham Repertory Theatre is off to Narnia this Christmas with a magical production of C. S. Lewis’ timeless classic The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe from 26 November – 17 January. With no other professional version of this stage play in production across the country, The REP offers a rare opportunity to see Narnia brought to life on stage.
Evacuated during the Second World War, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy find themselves in the rambling country house of Professor Kirk. One rainy afternoon Lucy’s curiosity leads her to a forgotten wardrobe. Once inside she finds herself transported to a magical world populated by talking animals, fauns, and a host of mythical creatures. This icy land is Narnia, presided over by the evil White Witch who keeps it in an eternal state of winter. Only the mighty lion Aslan and the four children can overthrow the wicked White Witch and transform Narnia back to its true state. This mythical adventure story of the battle between good and evil, love, betrayal and the ultimate sacrifice, comes complete with exciting battle scenes and an abundance of daring escapades to delight the entire family.
Leading the ensemble cast are Joseph Pitcher, Bethan Walker, Ben Stott and Amy Brown as Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy.
Playing the White Witch is Moyo Omoniyi whose is delighted to making her debut in a lead role at The REP. Aslan is brought to life by Birmingham-born Louis Decosta Johnson whose theatre and film credits include To Kill A Mockingbird (New Vic Theatre) and Body Armour (Arclight Films). Junix Inocian and Jacqueline Boatswain will be playing Mr and Mrs Beaver and Michael Taibi will be playing the delightful Mr Tumnus. Other cast members include Verity Bentham, Ben Evans, David Grewcock, David McMinn, Neil Salvage, Kerry Whiteside and Owen Young.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be directed by Ian Brown. As artistic director of West Yorkshire Playhouse Ian’s recent productions include Privates On Parade, Fast Labour and How Many Miles To Basra?
Ruari Murchison’s breath-taking set brings the fantastical and ice cold wonderland of Narnia to The REP’s stage. With a revolving floor, moving staircases and a topsy-turvy home for Mr Tumnus. Ruari has created a truly magical backdrop for the children’s adventures through the wardrobe. Working alongside Ruari Murchison as Costume designer is Stephen Snell. Creating the movement for Narnia is choreographer Ann Yee and completing the creative team for this C.S. Lewis classic is Guy Hoare as Lighting Designer and Mic Pool as Sound and Video Designer.
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is a co-production with West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Listings Information
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
Wednesday 26 November 2008 – Saturday 17 January 2009
Performances Times: 10.15am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 7.30pm on different days.
Evening Performances: 7.30pm on 26, 27, 28, 29 Nov, 1, 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 30 Dec and 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Jan
7.00pm on 2 Dec
Morning Performances: 10.15am on 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18 Dec
Matinees: 2.30pm on 29 Nov, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31 Dec and 2, 3, 4 Jan
1.30pm on 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Jan
Please note no performances on 25 December and 1 Janaury
BSL Interpreted Performances: Mon 15 Dec at 10.15am and Tue 30 Dec at 2.30pm
Audio Description and pre-show Touch Tour: Wed 17 Dec at 2.30pm and Sat 3 Jan at 2.30pm
Captioned Performances: Sat 10 Jan at 1.30pm and 7.30pm
Family Days: Narnia-themed Family Days with storytelling, drama and movement workshops for children on Sat 6 and Sat 13 December from 11am to 1pm. Tickets £6 plus the cost of a matinee ticket.
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