The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe celebrates the book’s 75th anniversary at Empire
Written by Meena Green on 11th November 2025
C.S. Lewis’s classic novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe celebrates the 75th anniversary of its publication this year. To mark the occasion, British theatre director Michael Fentiman is taking his acclaimed stage adaptation on a UK tour, with a stop at the Empire Theatre from 11–15 November.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Photo by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Originally published in October 1950, C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has become a timeless classic, cherished by generations across the UK and beyond. It is the first in a series of seven novels written between 1950 and 1956. The story follows four siblings — Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie — who are evacuated from London to the countryside during World War II to stay with Professor Digory Kirke. There, they discover a wardrobe that leads to the magical land of Narnia, where they join the great lion Aslan in a battle to free the realm from the White Witch’s curse of eternal winter — a world where it is “always winter and never Christmas.”
This production will also be welcoming home Gateshead-born Andrew Davison as he puppeteers Aslan and many more characters. On what it feels like to be returning to the North East and playing at Empire Davison said: “It means the world that I get to come back home with work, to an area that holds a lot of nostalgia for me. I always love coming back to the North East but this time will be extra special as we get to bring this show to such a beautiful theatre.”
Puppetry plays a central role in this production, with the designs so deeply woven into the narrative that the very materials help tell each character’s story. The talking lion, Aslan, for instance, is crafted to appear “made of terracotta — like a piece of ancient pottery, as if he were there before anyone else,” explains puppetry director Toby Olié.
Kudzai Mangombe (Lucy) Stanton Wright (Aslan ) Joanna Adaran (Susan). Photo by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Director Michael Fentiman faced the enormous challenge of adapting this piece of literary art for the stage. Working with a team of 23 actors, musicians, and dancers, he employs what he describes as “total theatre” — a blend of dance, puppetry, and actor-musicianship — to create a sense of “shared empathy” both among the performers and between the stage and the audience.
Some may know the 1988 version done for the BBC or the 2005 film or even the audio book narrated by Michael York. And, looking to the future, there are plans afoot for Greta Gerwig, the director of the blockbuster film Barbie to direct The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix. Now you have the chance to enjoy the story in a magical theatre production bringing this giant of a story to our stage.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be at Sunderland Empire, from 11 November until 15 November, ticket can be purchased from £15 over at ATG Tickets.
