“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
In 1940, amidst the chaos of the Blitz and the second World War, four children – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie – are evacuated from London to an old house in the countryside belonging to the secretive Professor Kirke.
There, they stumble through a wardrobe and into the magical land of Narnia, where they find an entirely different war waiting for them. Can good triumph over evil in this strange new world, or is Narnia – where it is always winter but never Christmas – destined to remain encased in ice and under the White Witch’s control forever? ❄️
This magical production, staged to commemorate the 120th anniversary of author C.S. Lewis’ birth, featured live music and puppetry, alongside sword fights, snowflakes, sibling rivalry and plenty of spam sandwiches and was extremely well received by audience members of all ages!
It would not have been possible to stage this show without the support of both St Mary’s Church and the Barnes Community Association, who recognised the potential of the project early on and awarded us a £500 grant to put towards the considerable costs involved. We are extremely grateful to both organisations for their faith in the production, and to Bishop Richard Harries, whose fascinating pre-show talk on C.S. Lewis ensured that, despite adding as many extra chairs as we could, we still had to turn people away on the Friday night!
Finally, we were absolutely delighted that the success of the show enabled us to make donations not only to St Mary’s but also to two fantastic children’s literacy charities, both doing invaluable work with disadvantaged children around the UK: BookTrust (www.booktrust.org.uk) and First Story (www.firststory.org.uk).
Audience Reaction & Reviews
“Utterly brilliant, spellbinding and wonderful. I have a lump in my throat as I think about it ….” Celia F
“Great evening last night – your show is amazing!!! Well done and very pleased that the BCA supported this production.” Steven Mindel, Chairman of the BCA
“Emma King-Farlow has mounted a truly magical production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe at St Mary’s Church, Barnes…” Mia Gibbons, Churches Together in Barnes
“This production was such a pleasure. The fine story by C.S. Lewis was performed by a great team of actors, all of them perfectly in character. The Christian allegory worked gently but effectively in the beautiful mediaeval St Mary’s Church, Barnes. Acting the part of Aslan, the lion King of Narnia, is inevitably impossible, but Will Forrester gave it drama and dignity. Curiously though, I found his parallel role of the benevolent, wise and charismatic Professor Kirke more moving. The White Queen and her wolf were superbly malevolent & frightening! The opening 40’s dance set the scene in wartime Britain, from where the evacuee children escape through the wardrobe to Narnia. Costumes were inventive and the simple set was used imaginatively. Many thanks to all and to the volunteers and Barnes Community Association. A special evening.” Anonymous audience member
“That was EXCELLENT. Thoroughly brilliant production. My daughter and her friend were scared witless by the White Witch. The acting, the pace, the energy, the eerie music – all amazing. Well done to all.” Laura v d B
“It was a very successful production, imaginative and detailed, with great performances, costumes, and special effects. I enjoyed the songs at the beginning, creating the atmosphere for the play to follow. The talk beforehand by Bishop Harries provided a very helpful background to the life of C S Lewis. I had not realised what an influential figure he had been in Christianity, as well as in children’s literature. Emma can be very proud of her achievement in bringing a play of the famous book to the church in such a memorable way.” Colin D
“A production of a high calibre and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It had great direction, an inventive set design within the church itself, excellent costumes, a well thought out and realistic sound track, a surprisingly complex lighting design…and good acting from all the performers. A pre- Halloween treat!”
Anonymous audience member
“We so much enjoyed the show last night. Impressed particularly by 4 lead ‘kids’. Very much ‘of their time’ without being over the top. Costumes, lighting, effects, staging etc great. You must be feeling proud – or if not you should be!” Claire B
“The production at St Mary’s last night was realised with huge imagination in the staging and the performing verve from an entire cast. Well done to all involved for the theatrical excitement of it all. It was also a revelation in how good actors can portray very different characters within the same show. I had to consult my program to work out who was playing whom as the story unfolded!” William M
“The show was absolutely brilliant and surpassed even your very high standards!” Jo W
“Excellent. Great fun with audience participation re singing war songs and dancing as the warm up. Staging and special effects very professional.”
Anonymous audience member.
“WOW 👏👏👏👏👏 It’s a triumph, Emma!!! Well done to you and your brilliant cast.” Katherine P
“I totally loved it!!! Incredible acting. You were amazing! Such a fab story. Took me right back to my childhood! I have a big urge to tell my sister and friends to go and see it this week! I sat next to the most lovely local who lives in Barnes. A real golden oldie. All in all, thank you for a wonderful evening. Very special…“
A friend of one of the cast
“Thank you for drawing the show to our attention. Emma’s productions are always extremely well devised, and this week was no exception – particularly (as she points out in the programme) as resources were limited. The ensemble clearly enjoys working together and the church is a great venue.” David L
“Congratulations on a FANTASTIC production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I thought you did a wonderful job of bringing such a loved story to life. What you achieved was just astonishing.” Kat C
“You were brilliant. I absolutely loved it. Completely exceeded my expectations. The acting was amazing… …Seriously, good job. That was incredible.”
A friend of one of the cast
“What an amazing performance! My son loved every moment of it. The cast was great! Lucy was my favourite character, and the white witch was superb!”
Anonymous audience member
“What a wonderful show. Well done Emma and all the team.” Henry W
HUGE thanks to our LWW campaign donors & supporters! <3
Tom Benfield
Deirdre O’Kelly
Anonymous Donor – Dec 2017
Sarah Travers
Jeremy Preston
Shadow Road Carol Singers 2017
The Barnes Community Association
St Mary’s Church, Barnes
Many thanks to the Barnes Community Association who have generously awarded us a £500 grant to put towards the costs of staging this production!
Past Productions
