Shaw Festival 2023/ Prince Caspian, adapted for the stage by Damien Atkins, based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, directed by Molly Atkinson, Royal George Theatre, Mar. 30 to Oct. 8. Tickets here.
Festival goers often ignore the show designed for young people, yet that production is often among the best. Take for example this year’s Shaw offering for young audiences, Prince Caspian, which is an absolute stunner.
Damian Atkins is a fine actor who happens to be an equally fine playwright. His adaptation of this second novel of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series is simply fantastic for a variety of reasons.
First, for people who have never read these revered 1950s children’s books, Atkins includes enough information up front to anchor newbies into the story.
The narration throughout belongs to the Doctor (Fiona Byrne), who is the Prince’s tutor, and Atkins has made it succinct to the moment. The Doctor leads us through the action with pointed text, which is what you want a narrator to do.
Thus, I, who have never read the Chronicles, learned about the children at the heart of the story — Peter who is brave (Kyle Blair), Susan who is sensible (Marla McLean), Edmund who is contrary (Andrew Lawrie), and Lucy who sees things that others can’t (Kiana Woo).
I discovered that the children once ruled as kings and queens in Narnia, thus creating the so-called Golden Age, and that they have been summoned back to Narnia to help Prince Caspian (Michael Man) regain his throne from his usurping uncle King Miraz (Sanjay Talwar).
We also get to meet the great lion Aslan (Qasim Khan) who is the power behind Narnia, and Trumpkin the Dwarf (Shane Carty) who is Prince Caspian’s close ally. Patty Jamieson and Jade Repeta have fun playing assorted fantastical creatures.
Now any frequent Shaw attendee will certainly perk up at the cast list because this is a festival A-team. In fact, many of these actors appear in the Synge classic Playboy of the Western World, which is no easy ride. This cast gives Prince Caspian gravitas.
Molly Atkinson’s direction is superb as she leads her actors through the story with stately simplicity. Winning back a throne is serious business, and the cast gives committed performances. They play it for real.
Cory Sincennes’ magical set contains all kinds of surprises, while his costumes shine with imagination. For example, Aslan’s persona is simply brilliant with its blend of human and puppet components. Jareth Li’s lighting is perfection, as is Alessandro Juliani’s exciting cinematic score.
And then there are the awesome battle scenes staged by the venerable fight master John Stead. Prince Caspian is literally filled with thrills and chills from the beginning to the end, not to mention poignant moments of intense pathos.
This is the third Narnia adaptation to play at Shaw. The others are The Magician’s Nephew in 2018, and The Horse and His Boy in 2019 (the fifth and fourth books respectively), and to my shame, I gave them a miss.
The Prince Caspian performance I attended was filled with adults who were clearly having a good time. The production is wonderful entertainment from youth to old age, and is not to be missed.
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