Release the child within and escape to the magical snow covered land of Narnia.
“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” musical is based on the first novel from C.S. Lewis’ series “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Theatreworks USA has been performing the musical since 1993 and it’s been one of its most successful productions.
The musical tells the tale of four children who find a portal to the land of Narnia while playing hide-and-seek in a magic wardrobe. The White Witch represents evil and casts a spell on Narnia that makes it winter forever but never Christmas. The children fight to break the spell and bring King Aslan back into power.
Theatreworks USA’s portrayal of the book is unique because the entire story fits into a 60 minute performance.
“I’m actually really anxious to see how they will do this,” said Peter Wilt, Program Manager for Cal Poly Arts.
Wilt said he has had good experience with the company in the past. “They do a great job of taking books and making them into musicals.”
He booked the musical with confidence in its strong following from the popularity of the books and more recently the movies. Both Walt Disney movies, “The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian,” have grossed more than one billion dollars combined worldwide according to the Web site Box Office Mojo.
“A lot of parents read the books and people have seen the movie ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,'” Wilt said.
Marketing Coordinator for Theatreworks USA, Patrick Dwyer explained that because the musical is only an hour it is presented in a story-theatre style where actors step out of character to explain what is going on.
The small cast consists of five actors that play four or five different roles each throughout the musical. “It is very cleverly staged and it’s never confusing for audience members,” Dwyer said.
Distinguishing between the different characters is made simple using headgear and costumes. Dwyer said the actors can’t be too heavily made up into one particular character because they must quickly switch from human to animals and from witch to beast. Dwyer explained that one actor wears a special helmet-like hat to transform into the beaver character.
Dwyer said the Narnia sets are kept simple. “We find that one of the best ways to engage audiences is to have the viewers use their imagination.”
The musical features 12 songs inspired by scenes from the book. The song “Turkish Delight” tells the story of the White Witch tempting one of the children with the dessert. Other song titles include the opening number “Far Away,” “Something Greater” and “A Field of Flowers.”
Dwyer said that the musical is great for the whole family. “It has something for everyone. It is wonderfully staged, fantastic music and marvelous performers.”
Cal Poly Arts along with Theatreworks USA will present the musical on April 5 at 3 p.m. at Spanos Theatre.
The musical is sponsored by the Embassy Suites Hotel, KJUG 98.1 FM and The New Times.
Tickets are $14 for children and students and $18 for the general public.