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John Risebero and Michael Taylor at St Stephen’s with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe cast |
First night for restoration drama
Church left derelict re-opens to public with bewitching theatrical production
FOR more than three decades it stood derelict at the top of Pond Street, its original Victorian pews and stained-glass windows replaced by cobwebs and squatters.
Passers-by assumed that St Stephen’s Church did not have a prayer.
But this week, after a decade of building work and a multi-million-pound fundraising drive, a lion, a witch and several costume wardrobes have brought the red-brick structure back to life and open to the public.
Curious neighbours and theatre-goers have packed out debut performances of CS Lewis’s classic children’s adventure, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, to catch a glimpse of what is to come this summer when St Stephen’s receives its official launch.
Trustees of the project, including Helena Bonham-Carter, Dame Judi Dench and Jude Law, have helped restore the church, to be used as a performance space and teaching facility.
Though work has yet to be completed on the building’s exterior, St Stephen’s Trust chairman Michael Taylor said the three-week show proved the end was finally in sight. “I feel so tired after 10 years of working on this I can’t really feel happy until a week or two has gone by and it’s up and running,” he said.
“It will take some time to organise the proper launch as some of our trustees have commitments in places like Hollywood, which tend not to wait.”
The show’s producer, John Risebero, of the Antic Disposition theatre company, said: “I was always intrigued by what was inside. From a producer’s point of view it’s very challenging. You have to bring in all the equipment, build the bar, the dressing rooms and the box office, but on the flipside you get this wonderful atmospheric building to perform in.”
The church was built in 1861 by Samuel Sanders Teulon but had been empty since 1976. The organ was sold off and there were rumours the church would be demolished until retired architect Mr Taylor set up a trust for its repair in 1998.
Much Ado About Nothing is planned for the official opening this summer, and A Christmas Carol will follow in December.
Opening success: Aslan roared church back to life
WHILE Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan battled the White Witch’s frosty Narnian reign, the wailing sirens of the north London emergency services had no problem intermittently breaking the theatrical spell at St Stephen’s.
But the urban distractions failed to undermine a celebratory production in this imposing structure.
Friday evening was a relatively understated fanfare to mark years of restorative effort, employing pop-theatre safety for the welcome return of a fallen community treasure.
The expansive venue means the actors are forced to work extra hard to effectively enunciate and, perhaps appropriate to the story, it was only Aslan’s booming roar that filled the room – along with Lucy’s ear-splitting, Famous Five twang.
A faultless set, meticulous costume and polished performances from an experienced cast did full justice to CS Lewis’s wartime children’s fantasy.
St Stephen’s will always lack some of the intimacy of Camden’s best indy venues, but its ethereal splendour alone is worth a visit.
The Victorian Gothic architecture will be at its best when the Bard visits in June, and the Antic Disposition theatre company’s residency deserves to attract many more worshippers back to this church.
ALLAN LEDWARD |
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