I spent Friday analysing poetry for my English Lit exam, and as much as I love English I was more than ready to swap it for drama that evening. With the use of a very minimalist set, a wardrobe, a small wall walkway and the occasional props of a few blocks to provide height the Make the Move students somehow managed to create what was a very realistic and believable performance.
The performance began with a boy, who then went on to play the Professer, telling the story of the history of Narnia along to the mime skills of two of his peers.
We were then introduced to the four Pevensies, whose actors were so true to character it shocked me.
The performance told the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who found the world of Narnia at the back of a wardrobe. It was full of humour, provided in heaps by the young Rosie Copp playing Mrs Beaver and her motherly charm earning her plenty of cheers during the curtain call.
What stood out to me the most throughout the performance was the creation of Narnia. Rather than having to change any of the set, a number of students in white clothes and a white mask all came together to create the image of the tree's, Mr Tumnus' house and other parts of Narnia through still images, movements and dance pieces. These students also assisted in the sound throughout the night, through the use of bells that strongly complemented the rocky backing music played as the White Witch patrolled the stage. The White Witch who was very small came across as a very powerful character to match her backing music through her dynamic voice, quirky acting skills and the use of building blocks to create levels in height.
To see people as young as 9 performing infront of an audience was really great, but even greater to see how they worked well and interacted with the older students. Each person had an important part to play and it was nice to see how everyone was incorporated so well into the performance. Those making the set were just as important as the four playing the Pevensies themselves.
Lighting and costumes were used to their full advantage all the way through the performance, and were often used together. Each time there was a transition between the human world and Narnia, the use of blue whirring lights and a quiet tingling music was a backing to the voices of the four children scrambling in the wardrobe. Further on in the play the use of an explosion at the front of the stage helped assist a frozen Mr Tumnus switch costumes from a statue to his living form- and to tell the truth I am still unable to work out how it was done. The whole switch over felt truly magical. They then furthered the magical touch with the rise of Aslan, in a truly beautiful costume. Both Aslans costumes were very realistic, though only the head of a lion. They also put a lot of effort into the costumes of statues, which could easily have been real and seemed to resemble Doctor Who's Weeping Angels which really gave me the chills.
The Make the Move Drama Students came together to produce a performance that had a feeling of such warmth and integrity it left me smiling for the course of the journey home. I had my worries that there was a possibility the play would drag and I would be left waiting for my favourite scenes having already known the story but this was not the case at all. They all came together to form a show that preserved the old traditions of Narnia mixed in with their own unique twists.
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| The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is among a variety of plays performed at North Devon Theatres and are all well worth the watch. (Website) |
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