David Suchet went head to head with Aslan the lion as he prepared to record his voice for a new stage version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
The Poirot actor watched three puppeteers make the giant lion walk and run, to help him prepare to voice the role.
“It’s very rarely, as an actor, you meet the character that you are going to play in real life. I shall use my lower register for him,” he said. “He’s a big boy, a very big lion.”
Suchet, 66, who is already appearing in one stage show, Long Day’s Journey into Night at the Apollo, said he was thrilled to have the chance of doing a second. “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is an iconic story and C S Lewis was an extraordinary writer. He was just magical. To be asked to do the voice of one of the most famous literary animals is a great honour.”
His only previous experience in the field was playing Mole in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Toad of Toad Hall nearly 40 years ago. Suchet said he thought The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe would be “wonderful” and intends to catch the show before it closes on September 9.
The production, directed by Rupert Goold AND Michael Fentiman, is being presented in Kensington Gardens in a giant tent owned by the Threesixty production company, with surround video and puppetry bringing the story to life. Previews start tonight.
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