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Stourbridge News: December 11, 2003

Trip to Narnia is company's finest hour

Stourbridge Theatre Company brought the magic of CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe vividly to life with their tremendous production of the classic children's tale. The show at Stourbridge Town Hall, directed by Sandra Griswold, was an ideal choice in the run-up to the festive season - and proved a real crowd-pleaser.

In fact it was probably the company's biggest and best outing of the last few years. Fantastic, imaginative scenery brought the fantastical world of Narnia to life and made for swift and easy scene changes. Effective lighting techniques, special effects and enchanting background music also complemented the picturesque set - as did the colourful costumes donned by the fabulous inhabitants of Narnia.

The young stars of the show, 15-year-olds Chris Attwood and Robert Kelly, 12-year-old Phoebe Biddulph and Holly Evans, aged ten, were ideally cast as Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy, who discover a magical world through a wardrobe. They faithfully brought the characters to life with their commendable, mature performances. Accomplished amateur actor Gary Durrant put in an excellent turn as Mr Tumnus the likeable faun - whom young Lucy befriends when she stumbles into Narnia. And talented town thespian Helen Gould played the wicked white witch, who rules Narnia, to perfection.

Stephen Clark also gave worthy and diverse performances as Aslan the mighty lion and the eccentric old professor whose wardrobe is the gateway to the fantasy world. Veteran thespian Lyn Williams brought the spirit of Christmas to the play as Santa Claus - who arrives in Narnia as the wicked queen's icy spell starts to thaw.

And Alex Long's jovial portrayal of the friendly beaver with a Black Country accent had the audience giggling throughout. Philip Martin also entertained as vicious wolf Maugrim.

The polished show was a charming affair; in fact it's fair to say I enjoyed it more than the heavy weight, rather serious, production I saw at the RSC a few years ago!

Bev Holder