Theatre Review: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Milton Keynes Theatre

Photography by Brinkhoff Moegenburg

Summary:

Rating: ★★★★
Running Dates: Tuesday 22nd July - Saturday 26th July 2025
Where to see it: Milton Keynes Theatre
Duration: 2 hours, 15 minutes approx. (incl. interval)
Keywords: Classic Fiction, Family Friendly, Magical, Musical

Review

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe at MK Theatre is magical, mesmeric and magnificent.

The first thing you see as you come into the Milton Keynes theatre this week (22nd - 26th July) is a magnificent lion’s head made of flowers. It’s a beautiful and very instagrammable feature, welcoming audiences for the theatre production of beloved C S Lewis book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I read the Chronicles of Narnia books when I was younger and loved the 2005 film adaptation and so I was very excited to see the production coming to MK. 

For those unfamiliar with the story, the basic plot is this: four siblings are evacuated from London during the second world war to a mysterious house. One room in the house contains a magical wardrobe, the portal to Narnia and adventure ensues. Narnia has been ensconced in 100 years of winter, under the tyrannical rule of the White Witch, and the children, with the support of friends they make along the way, work to save Narnia by finding Aslan the Lion.

The production is visually stunning. The use of light, smoke and fabric to transition between scenes is really effective and builds the atmosphere, especially during the journey to Narnia through the wardrobe. It’s almost like a magic trick when sets are changing before the audience’s eyes. The set also includes an upper level where a character would sometimes appear to layer the storyline. I'm not up on my technical theatre terms but I found this really engaging and my eye kept being drawn to this part of the stage to see what was happening. There’s also great use of aerial performance with the phoenix being a highlight for me. I get the feeling that if you saw this more than once you’d notice different things happening on the stage each time that you originally missed and have a different experience each time.

Photo by Brinkhoff Moegenburg

As I hadn’t researched this production before going, I wasn’t expecting a musical element to the show and I was pleasantly surprised by the use of folk music throughout the performance. While not an all out musical, the mesmeric music helps to build the tension and atmosphere. The production has an “actor-muso” approach where the musicians are part of the cast and instruments are played on stage amongst the action. I have never seen a show using this technique before and found this really powerful in the show, and just in awe of the actors who are also accomplished musicians and singers. 

This is a show that’s great for the family and especially for lovers of the books as it's as close to the original story as you can get in a theatre production. There are some moments that could be a bit scary for younger children, but the use of comedy balances this out. I’m sure most people will come away still giggling at Schrodinger the cat and his odd meows in agreement with The Professor, and young children will love the scene with Father Christmas visiting Narnia.

Overall this is a mesmeric, magnificent, magical show and I’d highly recommend going to see if you get a chance while it’s here in Milton Keynes.

See If: You love the original book series and the 2005 film adaptation, as well as those who love folk music and innovative theatre productions.

Stand Out Moment: The appearance of Aslan. I don’t want to give much a way but it’s an amazing moment and the puppeteering is so clever and effective.

Last Impressions: A mesmeric, magnificent, magical performance bringing the book to life in a way I hadn’t expected.

You can find last minute tickets for the show on the ATG Website

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Louise Mortimer