BRIGHAM CITY – By Abby Payne Peterson – Feb. 2, 2020
A tale as old as time. No, not dancing candle sticks and wow-worthy vocals, but family, redemptions and forgiveness.
Now through Feb. 8, a straight-play adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s beloved story “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” will be performed at Brigham City’s Heritage theater.
“The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” follows the story of the four Pevensie siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, as they explore Narnia, a fantastical world they found while exploring an old manor house they were staying in. The story includes daring sword fights and heart-felt conversations about love, forgiveness and the power of family.
Ginny Spencer, the White Witch for this production of “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,” explained. the show as “fairy-tale-like fantastical world” with something every member of the family will enjoy.
“There’s drama, there’s sibling tension that’s really real and raw and there’s also that fun fairy tale-esque part of it that brings it into a fantastical world,” Spencer said. “There’s cool action scenes at the end. It’s a good one for everyone to see.”
Kodi Cragun, the director for this production of “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” said that part of why she chose this particular show to direct was due to the spiritual and religious undertones to this story.
“C.S. Lewis has mentioned that this story is definitely about Christ, but he asks ‘what if Christ came to a different world and was a different person and how would that play out?’,” Cragun said. “He’s said that there are parallels but they’re definitely not the same story because it’s a different world.”
Cragun explained how the creative process behind “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” hasn’t always been easy, but that she’s felt the strength and support from her Heavenly Father as the production has come along.
“My favorite quote from the show is ‘All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think,’ and that has been so true,” Cragun said. “I knew getting into this show was going to be hard, but wow has it been harder than I thought. And looking back now and knowing that I had so many blessings and so many opportunities to see Heavenly Father’s and Christ’s hands in my life and in the cast’s life has been the greatest thing.”
For Caderik Wilson, Mr. Tumnus for this production of “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,” has a personal meaning. As a child growing up, Wilson explained his mother read “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” and it sparked his love for literature. As an adult, he appreciates the character’s relationships together and how every family has their issues.
“They act like real siblings act,” Wilson said. “They love each other, but they get on each other’s nerves sometimes. I think the thing about their relationship that I love is that in the end you see the power of those kind of family relationships and being able to always have someone by your side.”
“The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” will be performed three more times, Feb. 3, 7, and 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Theater.
Tickets are available online at https://www.heritagetheatreutah.com/ or at the door.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children and seniors.