Photo: Doctor Cornelius photobombs Caspian’s nurse.

On Friday, October 25 my kids and I had the pleasure of attending a performance of Prince Caspian at the Fox Theatre in Visalia. This involved a four-hour drive each way, plus a hotel room, but when I heard they were using a script that originated with The Logos Theatre in South Carolina, I couldn’t resist.

First, the script: This was excellent. I would expect nothing less from Nicole Chavers Stratton, the writer behind Logos’ production of The Horse and His Boy. Mostly faithful to the book, Stratton expands slightly on the character of Prunaprismia, giving her the wicked stepmother role she also expanded for Aravis’ stepmother. She also, as in the Walden film, brings Jadis back for a near-resurrection by the hag and werewolf.

The set design was well thought-out, with a single large setpiece used for most scenes but lit in varying ways to represent the ruins of Cair Paravel, Miraz’s castle, Aslan’s How, etc.

Most of the costumes appeared to be rentals, and this worked fairly well, especially for the Telmarines. I would have liked to see Peter and Edmund in brighter colors for their Narnian clothes, whereas Susan and Lucy might have been dressed a little too finely for hiking through the woods, but you work with what’s available. (Personally I always hike through the woods in my best ballgown if I have the option.) I loved the animal costuming, particularly on Trufflehunter and the Squirrels. Aslan for his part was suitably regal and well-acted and projected so well he didn’t need a microphone.

Most of the performances were solid and enjoyable, though I had difficulty understanding lines from one character who was perhaps not used to being individually mic’ed. One particularly funny moment came when Doctor Cornelius, whose actor was a bit tall and slim for the role, said to Caspian something along the lines of, “Ah, you’ve guessed that I’m part dwarf!” and Caspian did a double-take! Excellent job. (Many thanks to Michael Newman, who played Doctor Cornelius, as it was his Facebook post that alerted me to the upcoming show.)

Overall, the kids and I quite enjoyed our evening in Narnia and I look forward to seeing more productions of this show come to other regional theatres.