The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The Lowry, Salford

4^th December till 11^th January

*** Enchanting, Lavish and Wonderfully Magical ***

*** Katy Stephens as the White Witch was an absolute highlight ***

Three Stars ***

With the crisp festive night’s drawing in what better way to spend an evening then watching this dazzling production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, it will have you reaching for a hot chocolate and a piece of Turkish delight!

This whimsical Musical is based one of the most well know children’s books ever written. C. S. Lewis’s ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ follows the adventures of four children who have been evacuated during ‘The Blitz’ to an old Scottish country house. One of the children, Lucy initial stumbles upon a wardrobe whilst chasing a cat only to find that at the back of it there is a magical portal to another world. It is wintertime in this world known as Nania, and it’s here that Lucy meets the charming faun named Mr Tumnus (Alfie Richards). She is later joined by her other siblings, and they find themselves in a world at war between good and evil.

The story telling from the main cast was excellent. The casting here was spot on. The Pevensie children are a believable family, full of squabbling, forgiveness and tender moments. Kudzai Mangombe plays the inquisitive Lucy, Bunmi Osadolor plays the stubborn and misguided Edmund. Jesse Dunbar is Peter the oldest of the four who finds himself acting as a father figure to the younger three, with Joanna Adaran playing big sister Susan, who is always trying to make the peace between the arguing two brothers.

Stanton Wright is Aslan giving a powerful and majestic performance in the true essence of the character. I kinda wished that he had also been one of the puppeteers of the lion as there seemed disconnect between the two. Having him stand next to the giant lion seemed confusing to some of the younger members of the audience around me, he looked more of the lion’s keeper. If the lion’s mouth had opened simultaneously with the actor, this would have better connected the two.

Katy Stephens as the White Witch was an absolute highlight. Katy combines her acting ability with some dynamic aerialist skills to create the most wonderfully terrifying witch. She was captivating as she prowled the stage one moment and was flying above it the next. She really brought an air of magic and lavishness to the drama.

The show doesn’t feel like a musical, more a play with a few unforgettable songs in that didn’t really add much to the production. There were a lot of moments when the band and others were unnecessarily all on stage. This left the stage looking too busy and confusing. Less-is-more here would have focused the attention and heightened the drama. There were plenty of truly magical moments that had the younger (and quite a few older) audience members gasping in glee, such as the aerial moments and piece of paper bursting into flames before our eyes. These magical illusions by Chris Fisher, lifted the production and draw the audience even deeper into the world.

All in all, an Enchanting, lavish and wonderfully magical evening. This is unmissable theatre for a festive family night out. It is playing at The Lowry until Saturday 11^th January 2026, so could be a perfect Christmas present too.

Book now via below:

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe | What's On | Lowry