There is something about Narnia that stays with you.
Long after the snow has melted and the wardrobe door has swung shut, the memory of that strange and beautiful world lingers.
Seventy-five years after CS Lewis first introduced readers to a frozen land ruled by an icy queen and guarded by a golden lion, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe returns not just in spirit, but in a stirring new stage production that makes its way to Eden Court this June.
Running from Tuesday the 24th to Saturday the 28th, this ambitious touring production offers more than a retelling.
It’s a reimagining. Directed by Michael Fentiman, known for West End hits like Amélie and The Windsors: Endgame, the show blends movement, music, and masterful puppetry into what he calls “total theatre” a way of connecting audience and actor through shared imagination and empathy.
The result is immersive and intimate, large in scale yet deeply human.
Fentiman speaks of Lewis’s work not just as a classic, but as myth, a story so deeply rooted in our collective memory that it feels older than it is.
That reverence runs through every part of the production, but never weighs it down.
It feels fresh, lit from within by affection and invention.
There’s an energy to it, a sense that something is being rediscovered rather than simply replayed.
The cast, twenty-three strong, moves fluidly between roles, instruments and choreography, creating a world that shifts and breathes.
Katy Stephens commands the stage as the White Witch, delivering a performance that’s equal parts regal and ruthless.
The four Pevensie children are portrayed with a gentle realism, their characters growing stronger as the story deepens.
But the most powerful presence belongs to Aslan, brought to life by the puppetry of Toby Olié.
Olié, whose breakout work on War Horse changed the landscape of British theatre, has created more than thirty puppetry elements for the show.
Aslan, in particular, is astonishing, sculpted to resemble ancient pottery, he feels timeless, wise and impossibly real.
The puppets aren’t embellishments here.
They are part of the story’s emotional core, giving shape to the magical creatures of Narnia while also carrying weight and nuance.
They extend the performances rather than distract from them.
Visually, the production is stunning, but always in service to the story.
A forest rises and falls like breath.
Turkish delight glows with an unearthly shimmer.
Wolves stalk the edges of the stage with quiet menace.
It’s a careful kind of magic, no CGI, no gimmicks, just craft and care, brought to life by a company that believes in what it’s doing.
The setting remains faithful to the original, grounded in wartime Britain, where children were sent away from home in search of safety.
That context adds depth to the fantasy.
Narnia is not just an escape, but a crucible.
In stepping through the wardrobe, the children don’t run from the world, they discover their place in it.
Loyalty, courage, sacrifice, these are the true pillars of the story, and the production never loses sight of them.
There is a quiet confidence in how this version is told.
It doesn’t rush, it doesn’t shout, and it doesn’t overplay its hand.
Instead, it trusts the audience, young and old alike to follow, to feel, and to remember.
And in doing so, it earns its wonder.
For anyone who grew up with Narnia, this is a chance to revisit it with fresh eyes.
For those stepping through the wardrobe for the first time, it offers the rare thrill of discovering a story that feels like it was written just for you.
Either way, there’s magic waiting on the other side.
Get your tickets by clicking HERE
