BY ALISE CHAFFINS
For West Virginia Public Theatre, 2023 is going out like a lion — an 8-foot-tall, quadrupedal puppet lion that is.
WVPT closes out its 2023 season with a performance of the musical “Narnia,” based on the beloved children’s book, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis.
The story has been abridged to make it more accessible to a young audience, but the real draw is the spectacular puppet used for the character Aslan, a magical lion who brings spring back to Narnia.
Costume designer Mary McClung took it upon herself to design the Aslan puppet earlier this year. Rather than designing a bipedal costume, she wanted a prop that looked like a real lion. This is the first time something like this has been done here.
“We have done body puppets, where actors are walking with their own feet,” McClung said. “We’ve done lots of hand puppets and things that are more expressive with big faces, but never anything that’s an animal, an actual quadruped.”
After she finished sketching her designs, McClung sent them to Kylie Clark, an artist who specializes in puppet fabrication. She took the design and created the three-person lion puppet that will be featured in this production.
Each of the puppeteers operating Aslan have a specific job. Talon Shultz is in the back, operating the legs and the tail. Charlie Meeks physically inhabits the body of the costume, operating the front feet — hunched over to allow Aslan to look like a real animal. Cody Taylor operates the head and is the actor delivering the lines and singing.
In addition to being a fantastic piece of mechanical art, the puppet has a full, sparkling mane, a fully operating head, shimmering fur and warm, glittering eyes. It is nearly 8 feet tall when it rears up on its back legs.
Jerry McGonigle, artistic director for WVPT, said despite there being three people operating the puppet, he barely noticed them during the performance because they are so fluid in their motions and lip syncing. McGonigle believes this puppet will capture the attention and imagination of the young people in the audience.
In addition to evening performances this weekend and next, WVPT will bringing in nearly 5,000 students to experience “Narnia” during the school matinees. McGonigle is excited for so many children to be able to experience this type of live performance.
“This story is really appealing to young people,” McGonigle said. “They’re the audience of the future. You get them now and you’ve got them. That’s why it’s so important to me that we are able to offer this.”
He laughed and added, “It’s just really cool.”
