A fantasy world comes to life

If you’ve seen the first two stagings of Trumpets’ adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ spiritual-fantasy children’s epic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you’ll probably agree that this year’s production is the grandest. It features a magnificent production design complete with a revolving stage by Mio Infante and new musical arrangements.

As director and co-writer Jaime del Mundo says, "I hate repeating myself."

While the basic script has remained pretty much the same, a new cast is expected to breathe new life and perhaps even new interpretation into the characters. Leading the pack of the Pevensie children is Peter, alternately played by Paolo Valenciano (yup, the son of Gary V.) and Franco Mabanta. Susan, the ate of the group, will be played by Camille Cabrera (who used to play Lucy in the previous production of Lion) and Crisel Consunji. The challenging role of Edmund is alternately played by Sam Concepcion and Iñaki Ting. The adorable Lucy is played by Moreen Guese and Cheska Ortega.

Equally delightful is the adult cast led by Audie Gemora, who plays Aslan the Lion, the saintly, valiant and courageous protector and keeper of Narnia, together with seasoned Dulaang UP and Repertory Philippines thespian Meynard Peñalosa. Taking on the role of the lovely but dastardly White Witch, who blights the once-vibrant Narnia with an endless winter, are celebrated stage actresses Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Carla Martinez.

Carlo Orosa again reprises the role of Tumnus the Faun, along with Roy Rolloda, who made a splash as the more timid half of the Siamese twins in Singapore Action Theater’s Chang and Eng. Also in the cast are Sweet Plantado and Anna Liza Zialcita as Mrs. Beaver, Robbie Zialcita as Mr. Beaver, Steve Cadd as Professor Kirke, and Bonggoy Manahan as Father Christmas.

The dazzling Lion brings a fantasy world to life, minus the million-dollar pyrotechnics its richer counterparts in other countries regularly use. From the claustrophobic coldness and dreariness of World War II London, the stage blooms into spring with Narnia’s magnificent shades of green, red and orange with matching singing beavers to boot!

A huge revolving stage at the center will effect the changes from the real world to Narnia’s springtime, the White Witch’s demonic enclave, and the lush battlefield where the kingdom’s destiny is finally decided. The play encompasses the entire Meralco stage, creating a panorama-like effect guaranteed to hold the audience’s attention.

In past Lion versions, the changes were made simply by the lifting of a huge panel or the movement of the small wardrobe into center stage, which can sometimes look stagey and which slows down the audience’s suspension of disbelief.This time, the closet becomes a central, enormous action figure, transcending its role from a mere portal, to a major entry point that brings the characters (and the audiences) into their different playing grounds.

Says Mio Infante, in charge of production and set design, "Audie has always challenged us, ‘Can we do something else?’" He remembers how the creative team tried to break new ground and push the envelope, in spite of the show’s acclaim and success. "Children are becoming hard to please these days," he continues. "Maybe it’s just as well that the immersion into a vicarious world has to be real and exciting if they are to take part in it. Electronic entertainment in its various forms has thrown the gauntlet."

However, the Trumpets’ creative team is not at all daunted by these high-tech complications running their way. After all, they mounted a Filipino version of this British children’s classic at a time when nobody – not even the UK company holding the rights – thought that it could work.

Librettists Jaime del Mundo and Luna Griño-Inocian should be applauded for making this "children’s book" an "adult classic" as well.

True, the costumes, stage designs lighting and the over-all impact are phenomenal and perhaps overwhelming. But what is more moving is the living example of Aslan’s pure and gentle heart that makes us believe that good will forever win against evil. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is not only a "family affair" but an experimental beginning and a cultural success that has made its mark in the theater industry.

(The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is being staged at the Meralco Theater until Sept. 15, with 8 p.m. shows on Sept. 13, 14 and 15; and 3 p.m. shows on Sept. 14 and 15. Tickets are available at National Bookstore’s Ticketworld outlets (tel. no. 891-5610 or email at www.ticketworld.com.ph) and at the Trumpets office at tel. nos. 633-5010, 636-2842 and 633-4387.)