By Elizabeth Bennett
Unsurprisingly, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' makes a better book than play.
This is due in large part to C.S. Lewis'' narrative: His words in the book make the story charming, subtle and even moving. The play adaptation, on the other hand, tries too hard to make the story child-friendly; and in doing so loses the magic and chemistry of the original story.
It''s too bad - the book is accessible to children, and enjoyable to adults as well.
The well-known plot focuses on four siblings, sent to the country because of air raids. Lucy, hiding inside a wardrobe, discovers the magical land of Narnia, where animals talk, fauns have tea and 'it''s always winter and never Christmas.' When she comes with her other siblings, Peter, Susan and Edmund, they all realize they are there to help conquer the evil White Witch and bring spring and happiness back to Narnia. All except Edmund, that is; he had already met the White Witch and been swayed to her side.
What happens is a familiar tale of redemption and forgiveness -- a parable about the sacrifice of Christ.
During this simplistic rendering of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' there are some sweet moments. The death of Aslan the lion is seamless and rather beautiful. Director George Nelson also shaped a fanciful and appealing Narnia with his sparse sets. The creative mix of puppetry and costuming and movement will certainly keep kids attention.
Unfortunately, the script and acting do not measure up against these luminous moments. With the stand-out exception of the White Witch, the characterizations are very mechanical and one-dimensional.
And it is a disservice to children to believe that the symbolism and message of the book need 'dumbing down.'
Some of these problems with acting and emotional depth might be due to first performance jitters - hopefully, if that is the case, they will be ironed out soon.
But anyone looking for a true and faithful version of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' - try the original.