The Cheyenne Little Theatre’s production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe runs from Thursday through Sunday, February 9 – 25, 2018 at the Mary Godfrey Theatre.
The play is adapted from C. S. Lewis’ novel by Joseph Robinette (who in his long career has also adapted such children’s favorites as Charlotte’s Web and Anne of Green Gables) and directed by Jason Gilbert.
The White Queen of Narnia and Edmund (photo courtesy CLTP)
The plot
Narnia is a land populated by sentient animals that speak; like beavers, badgers and wolves, as well as unicorns and fauns. It’s a land that’s under a curse by the White Wi…er….Queen, who ensures that it is always winter and never Christmas. There’s a prophecy, however, that says when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit on the thrones at Cair Paravel, the White Queen’s power will be defeated and summer will return.
To prevent this, the White Queen has set sentinels throughout the land to alert her if these Sons of Adams or Daughters of Eve (humans) should ever enter Narnia, so that she may have them killed.
When four young siblings enter Narnia from Earth through a magical wardrobe, the race begins. They must find the mystical Aslan who will help them save Narnia, or they will be found and killed by the White Witch.
Peter and Susan bow to Aslan (photo courtesy CLTP)
The Production
The CLTP’s production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe runs a brisk 90 minutes. It has been adapted for children, and most of the roles are played by youngsters.
It’s a mixed media production. The opening scene, set in a room of the house to which the four Pevensey children have been evacuated, was actually filmed and is played on a movie screen, as the children decide to wile away a rainy day by exploring their new home. The movie screen rises out of sight and we get our first view of the ice cold land of Narnia.
Lucy finds her way through the wardrobe first, and meets Mr. Tumnus the fawn. Lucy is played by Lucy West with all the charm needed for the youngest child who must charm Mr. Tumnus and make him abandon his plan of turning her over to the White Wi…Queen.
The bratty Edmund is played to perfection by Brayden Moody. Sinead Knepper does what she can with her role as Susan, but she’s not given a lot to do. Connor Fertig as Peter is appropriately brave in facing the imposing Fenris Ulf (Greg Schueler) – the White Queen’s wolfish chief henchman.
Michelle Kaufman is gleefully villainous as the White Witch – truly a villain the audience loved to hate. The charming, timorous but ultimately brave faun Mr. Tumnus is played to perfection by Joshua Cooper.
This production has a large cast of animals – everything from a unicorn to a zebra to elves and dwarfs, and the face painting designs applied by Sandie Whitman and her team were both convincing and delightful.
Aslan is paces measuredly and with dignity across the stage as portrayed by puppeteers Brynley Guille and Ellia Milsap, and Jacob Delicath provides the resonating calm voice that the Lion requires.
The final battle between the forces of good and evil is a masterpiece. Rather than having young children milling all over the stage it is presented as a series of stop-motion tableaux, each frozen tableaux getting us closer and closer to the final denouement between the White Witch and Aslan.
The Cast
- Aslan (voice): Jacob Delicath
- Aslan (puppeteers): Brynley Guille, Ellia Milsap
- White Witch: Michelle Kaufman
- Lucy: Rachel West
- Edmund: Brayden Moody
- Susan: Sinead Knepper
- Peter: Connor Fertig
- Mr. Beaver: Lucas Henry
- Mrs. Beaver: Anna Agee
- Unicorn: Cassidy Fay
- Badger: William Moore
- Mr. Tumnus: Joshua Cooper
- Fenris Ulf: Greg Schueler
- Dwarf: Katya Wiggam
- Father Christmas: Isaac Schmidt
- Elf: Natalyia Kopack
- Creatures of Narnia: Dani Schulz, Gweneth Hargett, Drake King, Elizabeth Agee, Emily Barlow, Trinity Mayhew, Caroline Fay, Raven King, David Schulz, Layne Schueler, Rain Long, Aurora Dunning, Emma Heny
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The Crew
- Director: Jason Gilbert
- Assistant Director: Hannah Cooper
- Stage Manager: Cathy Corso
- Set Design: Andi Jaspersen
- Costume Design: Kara Gilbert
- Seamstresses/Tailors: Kara Gilbert, Carol Laver, Jill Millsap, Connie Skoetsch
- Aslan puppet: Tia and Calob Taylor
- Hair: Kara Gilbert
- Movement coach: Ceara Madson
- Makeup team: Sandie Whitman, Sharon Hendricks, Ruth Cooper,Hannah Cooper
- Lighting design: Todd Martin
- Sound design: Rain Long
- Props: Tracy Duck and Victoria Cline
- Light operator: Cindy Schmid
- Sound operator: Jacob Delicath
- Stage crew: Ivy Williams, Isaac Schmidt, Aurora Gilbert
- Carpenters: Bob and Riley Milburn, Leroy Baluska, Tony Laird
- Set construction: Cast, crew and their families
- Photography: Cathie Chadwick and Glenn Shaffer
- Videography: 74 KLICKS Productions
