Rob Greenland takes the family to see the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Christmas spectacular, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
I don’t go to the theatre much. Most of my Spending More Than I’m Really Comfortable With For Two Hours Of Entertainment budget is currently taken up following Burton Albion around northern Championship grounds. Beyond our annual Christmas Eve pilgrimage to City Varieties for their panto, I’ve hardly been to the theatre for years.
But with culture in Leeds having been in the news a bit this year, I thought it was time to give it another go, starting with a trip to the Playhouse with my 11 year old son. The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe looked like an ideal way back in.
The Quarry has become a theatre in the round, at least for this production. We entered via a door that I’d never spotted before, which added a bit to the excitement and seemed fitting for what we were about to see.
With actors milling around us checking that kids were ready for the journey, we were soon underway (check your tickets – most shows are 7pm starts, and you wouldn’t want to miss that train).
Right from the start there was a good pace to the storytelling – and the circular stage seemed to help with that – with people popping up and disappearing left, right and centre. There was a simplicity to the props and scenery that I thought worked really well and seemed to add to the sense of this being a magical, timeless children’s story.
Ultimately I suppose we want theatre to move us, and I felt moved by this. Maybe it’s the times we’re going through, but I felt ready for a simple story of good triumphing over evil. Whooping really isn’t my style but I’m pretty sure I gave out a little whoop when Aslan turned up, and even cynical old me was welling up a bit near the end. Yet it didn’t feel over the top – plenty of joy, plenty of magic, but not excessively sentimental.
All in all it felt like a true spectacle – a big show in a relatively intimate setting. They used every inch of the circular stage – along with the full height of the theatre thanks to some spectacular acrobatics. Some of the physical theatre was outstanding. I thought the portrayal of Maugrim in particular was excellent.
And what did my son think?
He loved it – which is saying something given he’s hitting that age where it’s not the done thing to be too enthusiastic. I kept glancing over to him throughout – and I could tell he was enthralled – as were many other kids around us too.
All in all it was good to be back – and I’ve been convinced that it’s time to make that budget stretch to a few more trips to the theatre during 2018.