“The loss of Lance Maloney is, of course, hard to take,” said Andrew Sharp, Director of UW-Platteville Richland’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  Maloney, 28, a cast member of the show, passed away on Thursday, April 6, 2023 while stopping in at a rehearsal.  “Some cast members were close friends with him and are taking it very hard,” said Sharp.  “Everyone in the cast knew him and liked him.”

Tributes have poured in from friends, former cast members and people who knew Lance from his job at Royal Bank.  Many commented on his “big smile” and “warm personality.”  John Poole, who is retired from the UW-Richland campus, said that “Lance was a friend to many and just an all-around good guy.”

The final two days for the production have been reset to Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m.  Sharp related that the family requested that the show should not be cancelled but only postponed.  “In the best tradition of the theater, they felt that Lance would want the show to go on.” Large crowds attended the first weekend’s performances and showered praise on the cast and crew.

The show is a story of hope and redemption.  It takes its viewers to the magical land of Narnia, where the evil White Witch makes it “always winter but never Christmas.”  The four Pevensie children travel through a magic wardrobe to join forces with talking forest animals, who follow Aslan, the great lion.  After their brother falls under the spell of the Witch, they must rescue him and do battle.   

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be shown on Saturday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m.  All shows are at the UW-Platteville Richland Coppertop Theater, 1200 Highway 14 West, Richland Center.  Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $5:00.