Eye-catching puppet brings a magical feeling to theatrical adaption of popular book at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
The centrepiece character of a popular story around witches, time-travelling wardrobes and king lions has been making an impact with audiences.
The production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has been playing to large audiences, who have been left in awe at the striking life-like puppet playing main character Aslan.
The lion, who is the King above all High Kings in Narnia in the book by C.S. Lewis, is represented on stage by a large and very imposing puppet, which is operated by Andrew Davidson, Molly Francis and Rhodri Watkins and who have created a lifelike creature that has given audiences a tangible feeling of fear when he enters the stage for the first time.
It adds to the story of Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they meet new friends, face dangerous foes and learn the lessons of courage, sacrifice, and the power of love through their experiences in Narnia.
The presence of Aslan on stage, with Stanton Wright providing the voice and presence of the kind, adds to the visually and emotionally stunning experience, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the story, and providing audiences with a story that director Chris Harper said followed his love of the books.
He said: “In the case of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, I loved the book when I was a kid, as I remember so vividly all those BBC productions of it and I fell in love with it.
“When I produced War Horse at The National Theatre, I think it worked so well because it was a brilliant book, and so when I was looking at what I might like to do next, and because I have kids, I wanted to do something that would involve young adults and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is perfect.
"It is a really good book which people love, with a talking lion, flying, magic, children, and there is something very theatrical about going into a wardrobe and into another world, all this drew me to doing it."
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday, November 1.
