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By C.S. Lewis, adapted by Anna Chatterton, directed by Christine Brubaker. Until July 21 at the Shaw Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake. , 905-468-2172 and 800-511-7429.

Two horses, a boy, a girl 鈥� and a female Aslan. Anna Chatterton鈥檚 world premiere adaptation of the Narnia classic reflects contemporary perspectives on gender equity and the relationship between human and non-human animals. With an emphasis on ensemble playing and fluidly mobile design, Christine Brubaker鈥檚 Shaw Festival production keeps this potentially complicated tale engaging and clear, and moral lessons feel earned rather than tacked on.

The show is recommended for ages 6+, and as with last year鈥檚 The Magician鈥檚 Nephew, young audiences can attend pre-show workshops in which they learn songs and responses that make the production interactive for them and add entertainment value for the oldies (they, did, at least, for me). 鈥淪nap, snap, follow the map鈥� they chant along, as the chorus guides the story from one mythical location to the next. As soon as a character says 鈥淭o Narnia鈥�.鈥� the kids know what comes next: 鈥溾�nd the North!鈥�

Indeed this is the story of four central characters鈥� journey out of limited lives in the southern empire of Calormen. The adolescent Shasta (Matt Nethersole) narrowly escapes being sold into slavery by his coarse adoptive father when he meets the talking horse Bree (Jay Turvey). Forging a relationship of mutual benefit, the pair decide to make their way to Bree鈥檚 native Narnia.

Meanwhile, the noble-born, feisty Aravis (Madelyn Kriese) wants nothing to do with an arranged marriage and makes her own way to freedom on the back of Hwin (Kristi Frank), also from Narnia. The pairs become a team and soon get wrapped up in Narnian international affairs: The arrogant Calormine Prince Rabadash (George Krissa) doesn鈥檛 take it well when Queen Susan (Jacqueline Thair) refuses his courtship, and our four heroes are drawn into the battles that ensue.

Boldly embracing her first opportunity to direct on the Shaw鈥檚 Festival Theatre mainstage, Brubaker has created an extraordinary esprit de corps amongst the 14-member cast and the nearly-all-female creative team. The performers swap characters constantly, and Jennifer Goodman鈥檚 costuming concept 鈥� contemporary-shaped black basics underneath beautifully crafted, removable costume/prop pieces 鈥� helps keep the roles distinct.

The approach to representing the horses takes some hints from War Horse and The Lion King while adding its own creative flair: Turvey and Frank wear beautiful, hollow horse masks arching over their heads and footwear suggesting hooves, while two other performers play the horses鈥� hind ends with personalities and attitudes of their own. When the voyagers finally make it to Narnia, the costumes for the band of animals who meet them 鈥� and the way in which the cast embody these furry characters 鈥� are insanely adorable.

Goodman鈥檚 set is equally adaptable and imaginative: cut-out flats which the actors roll and snap into place smoothly. In an episodic story such as this, scene changes could quickly become repetitive and deadly, but instead they鈥檙e opportunities for more engagement and make-believe, as when trees are rolled backwards as the horses and riders simulate galloping, creating the dynamic impression of forward motion. Siobh谩n Sleath鈥檚 lighting is also an important accomplice in clear and focused storytelling, as when spotlights fix on one key figure after another in the big battle scene as the action is narrated from the sidelines.

The production is framed by narration from a character called the Hermit (Jenny L. Wright), who usefully introduces a key plot point about royal twins separated at birth and creates a humorous and warm rapport with the audience. Wright鈥檚 late appearance as the noble Aslan is one of the production鈥檚 rare design missteps: her golden headdress is gorgeous, but Wright鈥檚 small frame is dwarfed by a huge cowl and cape 鈥� while there are interesting suggestions here of Aslan as a sorcerer, and rainbow tones peeking out through black latticework fabric bring together the production鈥檚 overall colour palette, the cape physically restricts Wright and adds to a sense of anti-climax around Aslan鈥檚 appearance, however compelling Wright鈥檚 performance.

All four leads are terrific: Nethersole holds the stage confidently as the questing, open-hearted Shasta, and Kriese is wonderfully watchable as independent-minded Aravis, who gains some necessary humility through her adventures. Turvey鈥檚 Bree, too, learns some compelling lessons about how being proud of oneself can tip over into vanity, and Frank鈥檚 Hwin is full of grace and gentleness. The ensemble overflows with lovely cameos, from Jane Johanson鈥檚 radiant Queen Lune to Krystal Kirwan鈥檚 hilariously entitled royal daughter Lasaraleen to Krissa鈥檚 goofily macho Rabadash.

The honouring and empowerment of animals is inherent in Lewis鈥檚 Narnia saga: Aslan is the original lion king, and one of the big points of this instalment is that it鈥檚 the horses who save and educate the humans. These aspects of the story resonate in Chatterton鈥檚 adaptation with current dialogues around animal rights and species boundary, and she has very successfully found ways to make this a story with just as many female as male role models 鈥� and any number of characters who are flawed but loveable regardless of their gender or species.