Magical journey into Narnia

The set cleverly uses contrast between warm homes and the icy bleakness of Narnia. Pictured: Richard Bayliss as Mr Tumnus with Lucy, played by Jemma Ogden.

From the moment the lights dim and the music starts, Hawera Repertory's production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe takes you on a magical, enchanted journey that is every bit as wonderful as you dreamed.
As a child, I loved the Narnia Chronicles by C S Lewis, and was thrilled when my ten-year-old daughter recently picked up a copy of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to read herself. Having declared herself to be "absolutely in love with Narnia" she made for the perfect co-reviewer for this play.
The team at Hawera Repertory have worked hard to make this an experience to remember, and it shows from the moment you enter the theatre. What a delight to find ourselves truly walking through a wardrobe door into an icy world before we had even reached our seats.
The sound team deserve praise for their clever scene setting in the opening minutes of the play. The audience were transported back in time to the war years, then taken on a brief train trip to the countryside, all by sound alone before the action on the stage began.
The actors playing the four Pevensie children showed a maturity beyond their years in the opening scene, carrying the story along with very few props or background scenery. While all of them are clearly talented, Jordan Dawson playing Edmund was outstanding, managing to make Edmund equal parts scared young boy and obnoxious brat!
Abigail Landsborough gave Susan a lovely maturity which contrasted nicely with Edmund, while not being as priggish as the books made her!
From the perspective of someone knowing the story well, it was a little confusing at the start with the way the play is ordered. Instead of travelling with Lucy to Narnia immediately, the audience instead see her enter the wardrobe but stay on the house side of the action. The same happens with Edmund's first trip to the magical kingdom, leaving both my fellow reviewer and I a little unsure at first.
Once the audience is taken into Narnia however, it is clear it was worth the wait and the audience clearly felt it, with loud applause the moment we saw the perfect storybook setting in all its glory on the stage.
I don't think I have ever been as impressed by a set design before as I have been by Kevin Cameron's creativity shown here.
Not only is the Narnia set impressive, it is clever as well, and I loved the use of contrast to create cosy homes for Mr Tumnus and the Beavers against the cold, icy world of the kingdom itself.
The much talked about Aslan was impressive as the reports had led us to believe, and other than saying his roar leaves the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, he is better left as a surprise for future audiences.
Rubeana Reader and Ben Thomas were perfectly cast as the affable and helpful beavers, with Rubeana making Mrs Beaver every bit as warm and caring as the books described her. Ben's Mr Beaver was a perfect match for her and both actors were some of the standouts of the night.
Playing a confused and frightened faun proved to be no challenge for Richard Bayliss who made Mr Tumnus a delight to watch on stage. From his very first hand shake with Lucy, he managed to blend together the behavior of a skittish faun and a human who was trying very hard to do the right thing.
Another actor who perfectly mastered the challenge of playing a creature more animal than human was Lyndon Greening. He brought Maugrim to life in what was, at times, a truly frightening performance with a howl that sent shivers down our spines.
While my ten-year-old fellow reviewer found Maugrim to be fantastically fearsome, Ainslie Alexander's White Witch was more beautiful than terrifying. It is a difficult role to play, as the character switches between murderous intent and icy charm and Ainslie did a good job, although I would have been happy to be a little bit more scared by her at times. That said, my fellow reviewer feels she was just scary enough, thank you very much, and liked the fact the witch was so beautiful and mesmerizing to watch. She says that mix of meanness and beauty is what trapped Edward, and feels Ainslie's portrayal of the white witch helped the audience to understand how people followed her.
Noah Hunt, as Peter, came into his own in the fight scene with the white witch, creating a memorable moment in the play. Another fight scene worth watching takes place between Andrew Beale as the dwarf, taking on three agile and fluid leopards. It was sheer magic to watch as they moved around the stage combining humour with poetic movement.
While I originally felt Jason Cunningham was too young to play Professor Kirke, within minutes of the play opening, he had me convinced he was right for the part. He captured the absent minded, yet very knowledgeable, character beautifully and was the perfect double act with Michelle Greig's Mrs Macready.
The final words of this review must go to Jemma Ogden for her portrayal of Lucy. It was fantastic throughout, but it was last moments in Narnia that showed she has a bright future in acting. With just a simple lingering look, and a pause in her steps, she showed what we all felt - a reluctance to leave this magical world we had been lucky enough to spend time in.