The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C S Lewis's novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a modern classic filled with imagination, adventure and intelligence. The Lyceum's current interpretation is a disappointing production filled with missed opportunities.

Where does it go wrong? It is well staged, has some very strong performances and has some clever design concepts, yet there also seems to be the conviction that, to be a successful Christmas show, it must contain endless mugging and comedic performances.

The story follows the Pevensie children, four WWII evacuees who are sheltering in the house of an eccentric professor. Through chance, they stumble onto a wardrobe that serves as a portal into Narnia, an alternate world where animals talk and mythical creatures exist.

It is also in the middle of a civil war waging between the evil White Witch and the good lion Aslan.

There are many ways that the story can be viewed: adventure tale, children's fantasy or Christian fable. One of the book's strengths is that any of those interpretations can easily be argued and followed. However, the production suffers from a major identity crisis; it has aspects of pantomime but doesn't commit itself to all of the classic conventions, and yet it also tries to be a serious fairy tale without taking itself too seriously.

The production also seems intent on being overly child-friendly, diluting all of the scary plot moments and brushing over most of the moral dilemmas.

This may be due to director Mark Thomson's concept, the character interpretations of certain cast members, the adaptation by writer Glyn Robbins, or a combination of the three. The result is a production that spends more time milking laughs from stage business than it does developing character and plot, rendering the piece shallower than it should be.

Ironically, the production works best when Lewis's voice overpowers the staged shenanigans.

An excellent example of this is in the performance of Daniel Williams. He arguably has the two most difficult roles in the play, both of which could have been either hammed up or exaggerated. Instead, he chooses to play Father Christmas straight and creates a commanding interpretation of Aslan. It's a commendable performance that is a welcome alternative to some of the cartoonish characters with whom he shares the stage.

Which brings us to Meg Fraser's White Witch. Fraser is a fine actor who seems to be enjoying herself immensely, but therein lays the greatest problem. Any villain that is over-the-top and given constant comedic direction isn't a formidable foe to be taken seriously As there is no true threat, the audience don't ever really fear for the safety of the main characters.

However, the Pevensie children are well served here. Neil Thomas and Amy McAllister have the larger and more interesting roles of Edmund and Lucy and are both very good. They never once drop focus onstage or overplay the fact that they are playing characters much younger than themselves. But Scott Hoatson and Jenny Hulse as older siblings Peter and Susan are actually more believable and give more developed performances.

Those looking for an approachable, safe family production will find much to like and will probably be entertained; those who prefer plot and character to stage antics will be disappointed and unamused by the unnecessary buffoonery.