Shaw Review: The Magician’s Nephew opens the door to Narnia
THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW, by C.S. Lewis. Starring Deborah Hay, Steven Sutcliffe and Travis Seetoo. Directed by Tim Carroll, adapted for the stage by Michael O’Brien. At the Festival Theatre until Oct. 13.
★★★★ (out of five)
For a season promising plenty of change, the Shaw Festival’s 2018 slate opened in a familiar place Wednesday.
For fans of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia saga, “The Magician’s Nephew” is their Hobbit — a smaller prequel promising big things to come. Though the fifth book Lewis wrote in the seven-part series, it was meant to be the first read, as it directly sets up the events in “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.”
An odd choice, perhaps, for Shaw regulars used to heavier fare to open the season. But as children’s theatre, this is first rate — a charming story with thrilling imagination and a stellar cast.
This show succeeds in virtually every way Shaw’s ambitious production of “Alice in Wonderland” failed two years ago. Storytelling trumps spectacle every time.
This newly adapted version by Michael O’Brien, making its premiere at Shaw, finds a way to engage with minimal stage fuss, using mostly cardboard boxes and lighting effects. Sure, it saves on the budget — the era of big, lavish productions at Shaw might be over — but the minimalism tweaks the enjoyment factor considerably. Characters traverse worlds simply by stepping through boxes. The ensemble helps out by constructing doors and desks as scenes unfold. Even the audience contributes with sound effects on cue.
In terms of scale and story, it’s a simple show meant to lay the groundwork for the widescreen spectacle of Lewis’ classic series, which was heavily influenced by Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” We’re introduced to characters who re-appear later in the series, most notably the witch queen Jadis, whose transformation into the White Witch we see before things end.
As played by the great Deborah Hay, making her much-welcome return to Shaw, the witch is a hoot before she becomes a real threat. She’s discovered in a strange ruined land by childhood friends Digory (Travis Seetoo) and Polly (Vanessa Sears), sent there by Digory’s nutty Uncle Andrew (Steven Sutcliffe).
His uncle has discovered a yellow ring which sends his subjects to another realm, and he’s hoping to prove the matching green rings bring them back. They succeed, but accidentally bring the witch back with them. After sizing things up, she figures she can conquer this world in an hour tops. Hay is both funny and fierce — watching her cut loose as a villain is worth the trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake alone.
Props also to Sutcliffe, who is both terrified and smitten with her, oblivious to what his mad experiment actually means to the world. He’s like the template for the crazy brilliant uncle from “Rick and Morty.”
The show’s other fun feature is watching Narnia take shape, and the reaction it gets from young fans in the audience. Aslan the Lion (Kyle Blair) doesn’t appear until the end of Act I, and it’s a moment fans of the books will get a charge out of.
Director Tim Carroll rarely lets the show stray, keeping it a tight two hours with intermission. Coupled with a veteran cast playing in a unique sandbox, this may be the strongest children’s show the company has ever done. Certainly in the last few decades.
There’s no reason it shouldn’t be a huge hit (Wednesday’s show had 375 school kids in attendance). Don’t be surprised if a lion, witch and wardrobe show up next season.