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At the beginning of March, Bishop Ramsey held four productions of their dramatised version of C.S. Lewis’s classical children’s fantasy novel, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which takes the reader on a magical journey through a wardrobe into the enchanting world of Narnia where four siblings must battle the evil witch and restore the rightful ruler to the throne. The director was Dr Whitney and it was his first dramatic production at the school which he described in the programme as” a positive and memorable experience” due to the ” small but mighty drama team” to which he extended his ” heartfelt thanks.”
The opening scene is set in the Professor’s house. The four Pevensie siblings, Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy, played admirably by Tas Oldfield, Theo Jones, Anna Meathrel and Evelyn Hunte, are staying there in the country to escape the air raids of WW2. The Professor, played by, Leshan Ellawalla, is very welcoming. However, his strict housekeeper, played convincingly by Tumini Taylor, makes it clear she is not happy with the children’s presence by laying down the strict rules they must follow during their stay.
The youngest member of the family, while exploring her new surroundings, comes across a wardrobe which once inside she is transported to the magical world of Narnia. She is surrounded by snow as the White Witch, played by Angelina Vassena, has made sure that the land will be eternally in winter with no Christmas until she can contrive to be the ruler. Lucy meets Mr Tumnus, played by Nancy Freestone, who has joined the service of the white witch and is delighted to meet her first human being.
Having convinced her siblings what is inside the wardrobe they all go through it to Narnia. Scene one of Act two takes them to a Land of Narnia in the Spring. The children meet Aslan, the talking Lion and the true King of Narnia, played by Aaliyah Nalder, in the fight against Jadis, the White Witch. Aslan gives his life to save one of the children. In the end all ends happily as Aslan rises from the dead, vanquishes the Witch and crowns the children Kings and Queens of Narnia and establishes the Golden Age of Narnia.
All the students played their parts with enthusiasm which created a realism without relying on costumes, set and scenery. Their acting, movement and engagement drew the audience into the enchanted land that they portrayed.
In his programme notes Dr Whitney stated that every school production has three important purposes: to help pupils discover something new about themselves, to strengthen the bonds they share with one another and to create a performance that brings real joy to an audience.” These were all certainly achieved and Dr Whitney and his team are to be congratulated.
The actors from L to R Tas, Theo, Anna, Evelyn, Aaliyah