Narnia onstage creates world of wonder

Do you ever wish you could relive the first time you read a favorite children’s book? Staying up past bedtime to read, exclaiming over plot twists and turns, sighing at a great ending? Yes, me too. 

That’s why the Logos Theatre’s production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was such a delight. Children who couldn’t keep quiet because they were just so, SO, excited to see Aslan the Lion. A lady with tears shining in her eyes. An adult man with disabilities sitting in the front row with his eyes glued to every single scene.

It brought me back to when my dad first read the beloved Narnia series to me. When the audience cheered when Aslan rose after dying at the hands of the White Witch on the Stone Table, I could not help but recall when I was 8 or so -- rereading the book for the umpteenth time -- and I raced downstairs to ask my mom “Did you know? Did you know that Aslan is like Jesus?” (to keep the record straight, she definitely already knew).

There’s something that the Logos Theater, performing their premiere at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, captured about the essence of C.S. Lewis’ classic Narnia series that neither film adaptation did. I think it comes down to one word: wonder.

The show, like the book, recounts the story of the four Pevensie children who are sent away from London during World War II. They find themselves in the grand old house of a Professor where they have nothing but time - and a big old house - to explore. One day, Lucy Pevensie happens upon a wardrobe and slips inside. But, it isn’t just any wardrobe; it's a portal to a different world -- Narnia.

My two preteen boys and I were literally in the midst of the action, sitting in the second row. From there we followed moving doorways as the kids explored the house and snow falling gently into our laps as Lucy first entered the land of Narnia. My 11-year-old loved Mr. and Mrs. Beaver for being funny, but not ridiculous, and I laughed right along with him. My 12-year-old couldn’t get over the wolves -- the creative puppet-like costumes and the way the actors evoked ferocious wolves with their every move. We, of course, were immediately repulsed by the White Witch and the evil spell she had cast on Narnia, where it was “always winter and never Christmas.”

But my favorite part was truly the sense of motion throughout the play: the swirling dust that came from the unused (magical) wardrobe; a forest that was truly alive as Narnia dryads were raised high into the sky. Battle scenes that looked and felt real and full of suspense. Aslan’s long walk to his death -- a true Stations of the Cross as he made his way around the auditorium, Lucy and Susan’s hands in his mane, offering comfort.

Because of course, as my 8-year old self was correct in guessing, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an allegory of the greatest story of all -- our redemption because of Christ’s Passion and love for us. As an adult, I realize that it's a pretty obvious one. But that doesn’t take away from its potency.

The lady sitting in front of me told her young companion that she didn’t read the book until she was an adult. And yet, there she was, as enraptured as the rest of us. C.S. Lewis once said, “A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” His own story definitely meets the mark.

Its Christianity is certainly part of what makes the book a classic and this production did not shy away from its central themes of death and resurrection, turning away from God and repentance. In fact, it is a fitting production for the Lenten and Easter seasons, getting to the heart of our faith in a way that even the youngest children can understand.

The Logos Theater has previously produced two other plays from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Horse and His Boy. I think it's fair to assume there may be more to come from the seven book series. The play will run at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. until April 19 before continuing on tour. For more information or for tickets, please visit here.