Step through the wardrobe and into Narnia with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

The smash-hit production of C S Lewis’ 1950 novel stars former Eastenders actress Samantha Womack as the White Witch.

“I remember for the first time encountering [Lewis’] very vivid and descriptive world and I certainly recall the feeling of alienation of the refugee children,” says the 49-year-old. “Coming at it this way round is very different. What I’ve been able to realise is that the very same character I read as a child and who my children came to interpret later as someone fearsome and icy is in fact coloured with a neurosis and anxiety and unpredictability that I had never understood from the outside.”

Samantha last performed at the Marlowe as the lead role in the Girl On the Train in 2019.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they wave goodbye to wartime Britain and find themselves in the spellbinding kingdom of Narnia.

“It’s incredible to be part of a story that’s so recognisable,” adds Shaka Kalokoh, who stars in the show as older brother Edmund alongside the former soap star. “Our puppets are absolutely incredible and aren’t your standard form of puppetry, whatever people may imagine that to be. We’ve got this strange world with massive talking badgers and beavers and a wild, awe-inspiring lion in Aslan.”

With magical costumes and spectacular staging, this family favourite leaves the real world behind.

This enchanting stage show is recommended for ages six and up.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is running at the Marlowe from Tuesday, February 15 to Saturday, February 19. Book tickets here or call 01227 787 787.