Few things are more powerful than a child’s imagination.



With little more than a suggestion and some free time, children can conjure up entire universes, populate them with fantastical creatures and fill them with intrigue and adventure. Imagination is the way kids learn about themselves, each other and the inevitable conflicts and challenges they will face as adults.



That, aside from some overt Christian overtones, is the idea at the heart of C. S. Lewis’ beloved “Chronicles of Narnia” series. A stage adaptation of the first part of the series, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” opened Friday night in a production by Theatre of Youth in the Allendale Theatre.



This show marks the Theatre of Youth directorial debut of the company’s formidably talented set and costume designer, Ken Shaw. Following in the footsteps of previous Theatre of Youth productions of the play (this is its fourth), Shaw opted for a stripped-down approach. Using a raked stage, few props and — regrettably — a large video projection screen, this version of Lewis’ fantasy adventure tale allows the imaginations of its young audience members to roam freely.



The show succeeds largely on the talent of its four-member cast, each of whom has mastered the nuances of physical theater necessary to pull objects, conflicts and genuine sentiment out of thin air.



For those unlucky grown-ups who have forgotten the finer points of Lewis’ story (expertly condensed and adapted in this version by LeClanche DuRand), it follows a quartet of British children sent to live in the English countryside at the outset of World War II. In their temporary home, a mansion of endless rooms, they discover a magical wardrobe that leads to the enchanted world of Narnia. Before long the children find themselves caught up in a plot to overthrow the White Witch, who has ruled for 100 years over a land of eternal and mirthless winter.



As good-natured Peter (as well as the messianic lion Aslan and conflicted faun Mr. Tumnus), Kevin Craig is a joy to watch on every account. He has an incredibly developed ability to directly engage the young audience as both child and adult simultaneously, without seeming even a bit cloying in the process. Craig’s delivery is full of sly humor, and the tongue-in-cheek way he breathes life back into Aslan—by shifting his eyes side-to-side as a kind of in-joke with the kids in the audience — is perfect.



As Edmund and two other minor characters, Justin Fiordaliso is impetuousness personified, a master of the pratfall and a performer of boundless energy and agility. He is joined by Bethany Sparacio, commanding as the White Witch and somewhat less so as the young Susan, and the credible Danica Riddick as Lucy.



Shaw is to be commended for his bare-bones approach, which rightly encourages the audience to be its own set designer and prop master. But in the context of such a production, the inclusion of a large video-screen backdrop makes next to no sense. If children can imagine the White Witch’s sleigh careening through a wintry forest, or for that matter that human actors are actually lions or other woodland creatures, surely they don’t need roughly Photoshopped projections of opulent rooms or dank caves to help them along. The actors — and audience — deserve more credit.



But video screen or no, this expertly acted and sparsely produced production of Lewis’ inspired tale is well worth the watching — for children and adults alike.



Theater Review



“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”



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Family production presented by the Theatre of Youth through Feb. 14 in the Allendale Theatre, 203 Allen St. For information, call 884-4400.