‘Narnia'
What: A musical adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by Fifth Row Center, South Hall's community theater
Where: The Springs Church, 6553 Spout Springs Road, Flowery Branch
When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17-19 and 3:30 p.m. Dec. 20; a special 10:30 a.m. showing, "Brunch in Narnia," will also be held Dec. 19
How much: Adults $10; children $8; brunch: $25 (includes meal and photo with costumed characters, gift and condensed show). Reservations for brunch showing must be made by Saturday.
Contact: 5thRowCenter@gmail.com or 678-357-7359
FLOWERY BRANCH — This month, open the wardrobe and climb inside for a musical journey into the world of Narnia.
Fifth Row Center, South Hall's community theater, will present the musical adaptation of C.S. Lewis' famed "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," Dec. 17-20 at The Springs Church in Flowery Branch.
The popular children's book chronicles the journey of four English siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, to Narnia. There, the children find themselves in a monumental battle between the kingdom's rightful ruler, the great lion Aslan, and the evil White Witch.
The novel is a book in The Chronicles of Narnia series, and it was director Donna Chalmers' love for the series that inspired her to produce the play.
"I love the books by C.S. Lewis; they're very special to me," she said. "The world he created in Narnia is just brilliant, but I (also) love the message of love overpowering hate, and redemption."
Actress Melissa Beck of Flowery Branch, who plays Mrs. Beaver, said the production is great for Narnia fans of all ages.
"This is a chance to see their favorite characters come to life, right in front of them," she said. "There's singing and dancing and all of your favorite characters."
Chalmers said the play's musical twist "enhances the storyline significantly," with songs such as "Murder Today," sung by the White Witch, and "Field of Flowers," sung following Aslan's death.
Janice Baskin of Buford, who plays the White Witch, said the production is fitting for the Christmas season.
"It definitely is a wonderful Christmas show ... Aslan kind of represents a Christ-like figure coming back to life after I murder him," she said. "He is all hope and joy and love and all I'm about is power. I'm not about love; I'm not about anything but all the evil things in life. So it's wonderful to see in this play and in this story that good triumphs overall."
Fifth Row Center was founded in 2007 by Chalmers, and the nonprofit organization performs four productions a year in addition to holding a theater camp and monthly murder mystery dinner theaters.
Chalmers said she started the theater as a way to elicit more exposure for the arts and bring people together.