PRINCE CASPIAN – REVIEW OF 2023 SHAW FESTIVAL PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

The Shaw Festival is back with a third production of a play based on C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. They give us a vibrant and entertaining production of an adaptation of Prince Caspian, the fourth novel in the Narnia series.

The stage adaptation by Damien Atkins of the children’s story has a colorful story of good versus evil, with lots of colourful characters, swashbuckling scenes, talking beasts, walking trees and spectacles to thrill youngsters and entertain adults.

We meet four children, Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy (first seen in the earlier Chronicle,  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) who are magically transported to Narnia. They were there a year ago but nothing is the same this time. Narnia is in ruins. The measurement of time in Narnia may be very different from that on our earth. One year here could be one hundred years there. They became kings and queens in Narnia and ruled for many years but when they returned to England, they were away for no time.

Narnia is now ruled by the evil King Miraz, a usurper of the throne that rightfully belongs to Prince Caspian (Michael Man). He wants to rebel of course. The four children become kings and queens with Peter becoming the High King. Accompanied by Trumpkin they traverse Narnia and meet with adventures and misadventures. Peter challenges Miraz to single combat and they display superb swordsmanship. The battle scenes between the two armies are brilliantly staged and exciting. Kudos to John Stead for his fight direction. Alessandro Juliani’s original music is dramatic and the sound designs are splendid.

Marla McLean, Andrew Lawrie, Kiana Woo, Kyle Blair,
and Shane Carty. Phot: David Cooper

I need hardly tell you that the four children return to England where we left them. They were at the station wating to board trains to go to their boarding schools. The adventures in Narnia took a long time, it seems, but they began and finished in a moment when the children returned to reality.

The beautiful fairy tale is acted by a wonderful cast. The four children are represented by Kyle Blair (Peter), Andre Lawrie (Edmund), Marla McLean (Susan) and Kiana Woo (Lucy).with their friend Trumpkin (Shane Carty). They have fine English accents and we accept them all as youngsters. Michael Man as Caspian is suitably heroic and nice unlike his usurper uncle Miraz in the hands of Sanjay Talwar (who also plays Nikabrik) who looked imperious and disgusting.

A dozen actors took on nineteen roles with Qasim Khan acting Glenstorm, Bulgy Bear 1, and of course Aslan, Pattie Jamieson handling Trufflelhunter, Sopespian and Prunaprismia, Fiona Byrne as Doctor and Patterwig and Jade Repeta acting as Reepicheep, Glozelle, and Bulgy Bear 2. Well done with a salute to Voice and Dialect Coach Jeffrey Simlett for getting credible English accents.

Director Molly Atkinson gets outstanding marks for the intelligent and inventive directing of the work. She kept it going at a brisk pace and never lagged.

The sets and costumes designed by Cory Sincennes are right out of medieval swashbuckling and fairy tales that every child may relate to. The huge tree, the ruined palace and the marvelous costumes are a treat to the eye. The characters from Aslan the Lion with its huge head, the centaurs, half man, half horse and able to kick with their hind legs, the walking trees, the soldiers in their black helmets and black armour and the other animals provide an array of sights that fascinate and are a joy to watch.  

Prince Caspian is the product of the fertile and vivid imagination of C. S. Lewis and one of the seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia. The book dates from 1951 and it is written in an English milieu with colloquial English expressions of the time. How many children express surprise by saying “By Jove”? Productions of parts of The Chronicles seem to represent the tastes of the English Tim Carroll, the Artistic Director of The Shaw Festival. So far so good but may we now move to Canadian fairy tales?

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Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis adapted for the stage by Damien Atkins and directed and dramaturged by Christine Brubaker will run in repertory until July 21, 2019 at the Festival Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com.

James Karas is the Senior Editor – Culture of The Greek Press. www.greekpress.ca