Playful Fox Productions (PFP) is preparing to bring the enchanted world of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” to life, at Brantford’s Sanderson Centre for Performing Arts this December.
Based on the C.S. Lewis novel and adapted by Joseph Robinette, the story follows the four Pevensie siblings after they were evacuated from England during World War Two. The adventure that unfolds next is something they never could have expected.
“It’s an iconic, mythical tale of four children who journey through a magical wardrobe and into the land of Narnia where they meet characters like Tumnus the faun, Jadis the White Witch, and of course, Aslan the great lion,” said Darien Fox, the show’s Aslan.
Filled with adventure, betrayal, loss, hope, wonder, courage and love, the tale follows the siblings as they’re thrown into the middle of an ongoing battle that will determine the future of Narnia.
Playful Fox co-owners, Fox and his wife Marissa Wilson-Fox (Jadis), said this will be the second time they’ve put on the production.
“We actually did it last year in Kitchener and Fergus, and it was widely received; very well attended, and just a major success,” said Wilson-Fox.
While they’ve now put on four musicals at the Sanderson Centre since 2023, when it came time to choose which story they would bring to the theatre this winter, Fox said they wanted to try something new and do a straight stage play.
“When it comes to Christmas, we could have gone in one of two directions,” he said. “We could have gone contemporary with something like the Christmas Story or It’s a Wonderful Life, or we could have gone in the opposite direction and done something fantastical and mythical.”
“And because Glen Brown, the theatre’s manager, really wanted something that involved Christmas, we both thought of bringing back ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ since Father Christmas appears in the story and he has a very important role to play,” added Wilson-Fox. “Glen was totally supportive and said ‘let’s do it,’ so we’re just really excited to be bringing this to the Sanderson Centre. This is a story we loved and that we grew up with, and so we want to share it with a new generation.”
Knowing the show is filled with big, elaborate elements, the two are working on finding a balance in honouring that, while staying true to their roots.
“You have to find a fine balance with a fantasy story because it can be overstimulating and so you can lose the humanity of it,” said Fox. “We didn’t want to market it as this grand, epic thing with acrobats and people swinging from trees because we want to get to the heart of what makes these characters great and not take away from that.”
“And something that we’re often praised for is how intimate our shows feel, how everyone feels involved and invested in the story,” added Wilson-Fox. “There isn’t that separation between our stage and audience and so with anything that we do, even at a place like the Sanderson with 1,100 seats, we’re always trying to recreate the kind of intimate feeling. So we’ve taken what we’ve done with this show on a smaller stage, and we’ve grown it to fit.
Noting that “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” inherently contains a subtle Christian allegory, the two said they want everyone, no matter their religious views, to enjoy it.
“I think we’re doing it in a way where if you want to see that allegory, you will, but if you don’t, then you’re still going to enjoy the story and the show no matter what,” said Fox. “There’s all these ups and downs, and I’ve incorporated these dance numbers and epic fight scenes, more specifically the 12-minute long final battle, that’s going to make the audience say ‘wow.’ And that’s what makes this story so special, it allows you to reach the youngest audience members with the grand, epic scope of it, but it still has that familiarity with the other generations who have grown up with the story.”
“I think no matter what, there’s something for everyone in the show,” added Wilson-Fox. “There’s these beautiful, heartbreaking moments, but then there’s other times, especially with the beavers, where you’ll just laugh and laugh.”
Noting that although prices behind the scenes are always increasing, the couple remain passionate about keeping their prices affordable.
“We’re always doing our very best not to increase ticket prices because we still want it to be accessible, so we’re always trying to find ways to keep prices low while maintaining the quality,” said Wilson-Fox. “As far as prices, tickets are $40 each for adults, and $35 for children 12 and under. Now the Sanderson Centre does have tickets for seniors and students, so that’s $36.”
For those interested in seeing the play, there will be three performances: Friday, December 19 at 7 p.m., Saturday, December 20 at 2 p.m., and Saturday, December 20 at 7 p.m.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
