As a child of the 1980s, the CS Lewis story of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a firm favourite of mine, further brought to life with the TV series, one which I loved and still remember vividly to this day.

The films, which came almost two decades later, did not quite have the same magic for me and so I was intrigued what the theatre version would be like.

I didn’t realise there has been a musical theatre version for years, but this 2025 production celebrates the 75th anniversary of the book being published and it is definitely one to remember!

Set in World War 2, Lucy, Susan, Edmund and Peter are evacuated from the city and sent to the home of Professor Kirk, which is meant to be a quieter and safer place.

However, it’s not long before the youngest sibling Lucy discovers a magical wardrobe and with it the world of Narnia.

I think the audience all felt like they went to Narnia during the wardrobe scenes, which were magical in their own right, and as much I loved seeing it, I actually loved watching the face of my 11-year-old watching it and seeing him experience the wonder of Narnia too!

Having visited Narnia and meeting Mr Tumnus, Lucy is keen to tell her brothers and sister, who don’t believe her. Soon though, they all step through the wardrobe and the start of their quest begins.

I love big stage productions, with huge sets and this one by comparison was quite simplistic, which suited this story perfectly. It used a storytelling style with physical theatre, puppetry and music and I really loved that actor musicians, many of whom played more than one part, are used to tell this tale.

Having only watched a bit of the film when he was younger, I did remind my son about the story and throughout there were times where I felt I needed to help him fully understand what was happening.

We talked about the reason children were evacuated during the war, rationing, and the animals that helped Lucy, as he wasn’t sure exactly what they were to start with.

I wondered if it would have the same appeal as it is quite literally a different world for this generation of children but he absolutely loved the show and thought it was truly magical.

Whilst the first act stays quite close to the original story, the opening of the second half, provides a unique twist with the appearance of Father Christmas who gives the siblings their gifts: a sword and shield for Peter; a bow and a quiver of arrows for Susan; a dagger for Lucy and a bottle of elixir which will heal anyone who needs it.

As they prepare for the great battle to end the 100-year winter which the evil White Witch Jardis has cast onto Narnia and save Edmund, who was tricked and captured by her, we are treated to the part all fans were waiting for – the much-anticipated return of Aslan.

This three-person puppet, alongside the actor Stanton Wright, is very effective and gave me similar goosebumps to when I watched the Lion King.I do remember being absolutely devastated when Aslan dies in the TV series and the second act is much darker bringing with it the same fate. I think many people held their breaths, when Aslan sacrifices himself, and then magically disappears on stage. (This provided some gasps in itself!) But he re-emerges alive shortly after, explaining that magic exists deep in Narnia.

During the fight, Edmund is stabbed by Jardis when trying to save Lucy, but is brought back to life with the elixir she was given and Aslan this time defeats Jardis, before disappearing.

The four children are crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia and under their rule, it recovers and thrives.

After years, the now grown-up children find themselves back at the lamp post where their adventures began and experience a sense of déjà vu. They burst back through the wardrobe and find themselves back at the Professor’s house.​