The Lasting Magic of Narnia: The Latest Positive Encounter in My Theatre Journey

I love Mr. Beaver.

I enjoyed the furry guardian angel who protected the Pevensie children in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe novel when I was a kid. I'm Canadian, so I had to root for my country's national animal. Being a lover of fantasy meant I was quickly swept into the world of Narnia in my childhood.

After the two-city and six-show run of the play version put on by Playful Fox Productions, Mr. Beaver will now always be a character that holds a special place in my heart.

I didn't have a clue where my theatre adventure would take me when I auditioned along with Emily, Everett, and Danika for Playful Fox Productions a year ago. I now have two ensemble roles in musicals, The Beauty & the Beast and Anastasia, and a significant supporting role in a play. 

I'm hooked on the magic that is performing on the stage and entertaining an audience. There is something unique with the art of theatre being able to bring two hours of joy to people and sweep them away to a new land where they no longer need to worry about the things in their lives for a short while. It is a power that produces an indescribable natural high.

I was excited when my family landed the role of the Beavers for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It would be the first time where I'd be able to share a significant amount of time on the stage with them, which was one of the main inspirations for jumping into the world of theatre. I was also honoured to be given a substantial role and have the chance to really push myself as a performer. My less-than-stellar singing skills and the popularity of musicals also meant this was likely one of the biggest roles I'd ever be offered. 

As seems to be my regular routine, I was anxious with questions swirling around if I could memorize all the lines and actually deliver a performance that justified my casting. I am also aware I'm a poor soothsayer, and would only know my fate in the role by jumping right in. I committed to putting my heart and soul into it and doing my very best Mr. Beaver.

Even before opening night, I was smothered in love and adoration for the role. Director Malakai Darien Fox gifted me with extensive freedom with how I portrayed the character and gave me several opportunities for ad-libbing lines and improvising physical scenes. This allowed me to play around quite a bit and form the personality of the hard-working yet somewhat clumsy and cowardly beaver patriarch. 

Going into our three-show Kitchener run, I believed I created an entertaining character and provided a positive contribution to the play. I memorized and added emotions to all my lines, refined all my physical scenes, and connected emotionally with the character to deliver a performance that needed to be both comedic, heartfelt, and dramatic. I was prepared to give my very best, but I wasn't even close to being prepared for the responses I'd receive for all six shows.

The audiences were incredible, and I loved knowing we had connected and entertained them on this epic adventure. I was emotionally overwhelmed when the Beaver family came out for their bows, and the applause noticeably got louder. I was shocked but grateful for the cheers when I stepped out and bowed. The kindness continued after the show when many audience members blessed me with an outpouring of compliments and praise. Many said the Beavers were a highlight of the show and several claimed Mr. Beaver was their favourite. A few times some especially kind patrons said that I commanded the stage, was born to do this, and resonated with star power. Some pretty high praise that still gets me teary-eyed.

The coolest aftershow surprises were little kids running up to me and telling me that they loved Mr. Beaver. They shouted out how I was their favourite actor, and one kid even asked if they could take Mr. Beaver home. I am sure he'd be disappointed to realize a 47-year-old man makes a horrible pet. It was an ego-boosting affair, but the best part was knowing that I did spread so much joy into many lives for an evening or afternoon. I got to do it by just playing make-believe, which was a thing I'd loved since I was 2.

I never expected the overwhelming audience reactions or for so many to think so highly of my performance. I definitely didn't think I would have a major role a little over a year after I contemplated trying out theatre so I could do something with my kids. It was a leap out of my comfort zone deciding to take to the stage, and it is one where I've made new friends, built up my confidence, and enjoyed the glow of success. Being Mr. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe is one of the biggest highlights of 2024 and even the past ten years, and it happened because I took a chance and decided to ignore all the negative voices screaming I'd fail. My hope is this wondrous experience can be an inspiration for others to follow a dream and passions they've been too scared to attempt. If your heart pulls towards something, you'll be shocked at how good you can be at it with some hard work and dedication.

But there is no Mr. Beaver without Mrs. Beaver. It was raining Skittles and dancing pandas-level magic to share the stage with Emily who is my talented, intelligent, and gorgeous partner on the stage and in life. I have shared on this site several times that Emily is overflowing with talent and is excellent at many things. She proved yet another of her immense gifts is performing on the stage, as she worked hard in crafting the Mrs. Beaver character, and ended up creating someone that was an audience favourite. She had the harder role of being the straight person, and my comedy didn't work without having an incredible person to play off. I had an absolute blast performing with her every night, and I believe we make a pretty amazing acting team. It proves we are great together.

Emily also deserves full praise for the great make-up work for the Beavers, as it was a crucial part of making the characters so lovable and believable. Yet another amazing talent that Emily just seems to conjure up. 

I am so proud of Emily who a year ago had very little interest in acting. It was not an area she was confident, especially when it came to memorizing lines. She not only did it, but she excelled at it. She showed so much commitment to getting better and trying to come up with ways to make her character more interesting and entertaining. Her dedication is an inspiration, but she also just proved once again she is one of the most talented and gifted people I know. I'm clearly very good at choosing amazing people to marry because I'm so great I only ever needed to do it once.

Of course, a Beaver family needs children, and we decided to really challenge our acting skills by casting Everett and Danika as our kits. Once again, both my kids wowed me with their stage presence and dedication to their craft. Danika is an absolute natural who captivates instantly when sauntering on the stage, and I've been told this by audience members not hampered by familial bias. Everett has grown so much as a performer and is great at embodying a character. He has a scene where he must scare away two wolves with his little axe that was a crowd-pleaser at every show. My kids also had far more quick changes than Emily and I, and they always proved to be very skilled at knowing their scenes and quickly becoming new characters. I'm very proud of my kids and what they've accomplished as performers these past several years.

Every show needs a great director, and Malakai has proven to be a master when it comes to crafting an engaging visual story. He turned a short 80-minute scripted play into a two-hour-plus sweeping fantasy epic. He drops little moments and scenes to help define characters and build to bigger moments later on, as he makes every action matter towards either developing a character or helping to form the bigger story. He also crafted a massive final battle that helps tell many different stories and gives several of the characters major moments. He helped turn The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe play into something very special, and I am grateful for the opportunities he provides for my family. I also appreciate the trust he gave us with such major roles.

Marissa Kate Wilson is the co-owner of Playful Fox Productions and was in charge of envisioning the costumes and props for the show, She had recommended what costume pieces to find, but also provided some like our delightful Beaver hats with ears and Emily's vest, and the colander and frying pan that were Mr. Beavers trusted weapons of choice when he took to battle.

Marrisa has performed in every Play Fox Production that I've been in, but this is the first time really I got to do substantial performing alongside her. I was amazed by her nuanced acting, and her great facial expressions to really convey her varied emotions. She also embodies a great caring motherly character as Susan. I feel like just acting alongside her can teach me so much about embodying a role and remaining in character. She is incredibly gifted, and I appreciate the chance to perform alongside her.

Malakai was a powerhouse as Aslan and conveyed the great strength and presence necessary. Kai proved throughout the rehearsal he can be a chameleon, and I'm amazed by the diverse roles he can take on. He demonstrated strength, leadership, compassion, and humility as Aslan. He does that while performing as many other characters in other shows and doing countless tasks for his production company along with Marissa.

Then there was the rest of the cast and crew. Wow. This being my biggest role helps make The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe such an unforgettable experience, but being surrounded by such an incredible cast was massive in making this the best production I've been in. They are immensely talented, but also every single one of them demonstrated so much kindness, humility, and hard work. We were more than a great team because we became a theatre family. This was a priceless experience. The cast will be a hard one to top for a long time.

A great fantasy tale needs an amazing villain, and Alissa Cooper captured every element and characteristic needed to become an amazing and chilling Jadis the White Witch. She struck a great balance of being enticing so you believed poor Edmund would be lured in while also being dark and frightening as the major villain every audience member hopes can be defeated. It was a powerhouse performance and Alissa is an incredible actor. She presented herself as an equal even if we all were trying to reach her level. She was humble and approachable. We didn't share much of the stage together, but I had a blast as poor Mr. Beaver cowering in front of the Witch.

I need to give oodles of credit and praise to all the great child actors. Each one of them needed to become an expert in quick changes as they took on multiple roles like mice, wolves, evil reindeer, and other mythical creatures. I got the great pleasure of sharing significant moments with Cara Parker as the Unicorn and Ruby Eccles Saulnier as the Christmas Elf. They both displayed a stage presence and sense of timing that rivals many adults, and Danika loved getting to know them. Clover Stewart, Mabel Harmatuk, and Isabel Swan were all excellent mythical creatures, and I was impressed with the expressions and energy they displayed each time on the stage. I also have to thank Isabel for her family allowing me to borrow the flannel shirt for my costume. Every single one of them has a great future with community theatre and it will be fun to perform with them again.

Performing alongside someone gifted and talented is an amazing experience that elevates your own work, but it is even more magical when that person is bundled in kindness, sincerity, and compassion. Jessica Davies is that kind of person. We had the privilege of performing with her in Beauty and the Beast, and have been eagerly awaiting the chance to share the stage with her again. It was an overflowing pleasure to be able to see her every week again. Danika absolutely loves her, and I think she is one of those incredible humans who just makes the world a kinder and better place. She was absolutely amazing as Lucy being able to act like a young child when she is a young woman. I believed her as the youngest Pevensie child, and her instincts are incredible, She ad-libbed several moments that enhanced her character and made the play much better. I hope for a long future of many more shows with her. 

We have also performed every Playful Fox show with Braedyn Edwards. It has been an honour to see him grow and improve as a performer. He embodied the Peter character as someone unsure if they could lead but by the end was a hero that all of Narnia wanted to follow. Braedyn has a future with many more lead roles, and he is someone unaware of how talented he really is. I have also enjoyed just talking to him and getting to know him better over the past few shows together. 

I met Philip Lulic with this show. It was great watching him evolve as a performer and build his confidence. He likely rivalled me when it came to being knocked around and being very physical. He is a few decades younger than me so he never seemed as banged up and I'd guess he avoided groaning from soreness when getting out of his car at the end of the night. We got to share a lot of scenes together, and I even got to gnaw on his arm. which is the ultimate bonding experience. He is also the first person I had to firefighter carry on my shoulders in a non-wrestling context.

Petra Brzak was another wonderful person I met working on this play, and she is destined for huge things in theatre with her immense talent and stage presence. She gets extra praise for her quick changes from her centaur costume to the Yeti. It was a lot of fun having two major scenes with her and pretending every night she was back-kicking me in the crotch. It pleased the audience every time. Come to think of it, the audience did get a lot of pleasure out of me getting beat up -- hmmm.

Karenna DeWaard is another super-talented performer I met on this show, and she easily became one of Danika's favourite people. She was incredibly sweet and kind, and it was a pleasure getting to know her better. She was a powerhouse on the stage, and her scene as Fenris Ulf dying was one of the most compelling and well-acted moments of the entire show. She has a very bright future as a performer, and I am thrilled we will be doing another show together.

I met Ralph Tutin during this show as well, but he is a long-time veteran performer who has amazing timing and instincts and he made Mr. Tumnus come alive. He is one of the most talented actors I've ever shared a stage, yet there isn't a trace of ego. He volunteered to help me every night with my quick changes, and he was there instantly to help anyone. He didn't behave like a big star even if he performed like one. He demonstrates how one should conduct oneself on a production, and it was a blessing to get to know him.

Mr. Beaver may have hated the Dwarf, but I love Hadley Carpenter who did an outstanding job becoming that character. The Dwarf's role is sparse on the page, but Hadley turned him into a prominent figure with stage presence and terrific ad-libbing. I enjoyed building a rivalry between our two characters until our big showdown. Hadley is another example of someone who is ridiculously talented but is always humble and wants to help out. He also was the saviour of our less-than-reliable wardrobe on a few occasions.

Justin Eccles was originally just a dad driving his daughter Ruby to rehearsals. The next thing he knew, he was being given more and more parts in the show. He told me that he had never acted before and was pretty nervous. You'd never guess it by opening night where he shined and proved he has natural talent. I enjoyed getting to know him as well, and hope we get to perform again someday.

Rob Curwain and Jill Pye are two terrific people who played the crucial role of running sound and lights. Jill also made our awesome beaver tails, and Rob provided my suspenders. They are also two of the kindest and coolest people you will ever meet.

So, goodbye Narnia. I'll miss this play quite a bit, and I'll especially miss the cast. I'll treasure the memories and the gifts it gave me forever.