The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at a glance

Show
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Venue
Gillian Lynne Theatre, 166 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5PW
West End opening
18 July 2022
West End closing
8 January 2023
Genre
Family play with music and puppetry
Running time
Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes, including interval
Age guidance
7+
Director (West End)
Michael Fentiman
Original director
Sally Cookson (Leeds Playhouse, 2017)
Based on
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950)
Lead cast
Samantha Womack (White Witch), Chris Jared (Aslan), Ammar Duffus (Peter), Shaka Kalokoh (Edmund), Robyn Sinclair (Susan), Delainey Hayles (Lucy)

Retrospective Review: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

4.4
★★★★☆

LTH Expert Rating

Reviewed retrospectively by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 12 May 2026.

The Verdict

Sally Cookson's original Leeds Playhouse staging — remounted for the West End by Michael Fentiman — was one of the more theatrically inventive C.S. Lewis adaptations to reach a major London stage. Rather than reaching for the cinematic, the production trusted ensemble storytelling, live music and large-scale puppetry to do the work. Samantha Womack's White Witch was the show's standout star turn, and Aslan was realised as a magnificent rod-puppet brought to life by four performers working in concert. The strictly limited Christmas-window season ran from July 2022 to its final performance on 8 January 2023.

What made it special

  • Ensemble storytelling. The production used a small ensemble of actor-musicians who shifted between roles, instruments and puppetry — a Cookson trademark from her earlier Bristol Old Vic and National Theatre work.
  • Aslan as puppet. Designed by Max Humphries (puppet design) and operated by a team of four, the Aslan figure was the production's central theatrical idea and earned consistent praise across reviews.
  • Samantha Womack's White Witch. The EastEnders and Guys and Dolls star's villainous turn anchored the production's tonal balance — frightening enough to register, never tipping into pantomime.
  • Family-friendly without being saccharine. Recommended for ages 7+, the production treated young audiences as capable of handling the source material's darker passages without softening them away.
  • A serious adaptation pedigree. Cookson's stage version, developed with writer Adam Peck and the original Leeds Playhouse company in 2017, had toured nationally and had a celebrated 2019 Bridge Theatre run before this West End transfer.

Critical Reception (2022/23 West End run)

The West End run drew broadly positive reviews, with critics particularly praising the puppetry, ensemble work and Samantha Womack's central performance. The Times called the staging "awe-inspiring" and said it would enthral both adults and children. Most major publications landed at three or four stars, with a small handful awarding five.

  • The Times ★★★★
  • The Telegraph ★★★★
  • The Guardian ★★★★
  • Evening Standard ★★★★
  • WhatsOnStage ★★★★
  • The Stage ★★★★

Source: published reviews of the Gillian Lynne Theatre run (July 2022 – January 2023). Ratings indicative of consensus.

About the Production

What happens in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The play follows the four Pevensie children — Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy — who are evacuated to a rambling country house during the Second World War. Hiding in a wardrobe during a game, Lucy stumbles through into the snow-covered world of Narnia and meets the faun Mr Tumnus.

Her siblings eventually follow her into Narnia, where they discover the land is held in perpetual winter under the rule of the White Witch. The four children are caught up in a prophesied conflict between the Witch and the great lion Aslan, the rightful king of Narnia. Edmund is seduced by the Witch's offer of Turkish Delight and a future throne; the other three children, helped by Mr Beaver and Mrs Beaver, journey to find Aslan.

The play's central act turns on Aslan's voluntary sacrifice — offered to the Witch in exchange for Edmund's life — and his subsequent resurrection on the Stone Table at dawn. The story closes with the climactic battle, the defeat of the Witch and the crowning of the four Pevensies as Kings and Queens of Narnia.