"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis as Performed by Max McLean

"The Screwtape Letters" is a satirical work comprised of the letters between "Screwtape", a senior demon and his nephew, a demon in training named "Wormwood." I have never read the book, so this is a review of the play as presented by the Fellowship for the Performing Arts at The Knight Theater here in Charlotte.

The original work took place in wartime London, and centers about Screwtape and his nephew, the ill fated Wormwood. Screwtape is mentoring his nephew as the younger Demon attempts to tempt an ordinary man, named "The Patient", into a life which will take him straight to Hell. This should be very simple, according to Screwtape, but as the younger Wormwood learns, is not as easy as it seems. The Patient to which he has been assigned comes from a good family, has an education and falls in love with a Christian woman. In short order he becomes a Church going, God fearing Christian, much to the dismay of Scewtape, who has been charged with training his nephew to corrupt The Patient's life in order to alleviate the hunger for new souls in Hell.

At times comical, and others pensive and revealing, the play explores the hypocrisy and false promise of both Heaven and Hell. On the one hand there is Screwtape, who serves the Devil by tempting people to ruin their own lives in order to gain their souls for himself. And on the other hand, there is Heaven, with it's promises of everlasting Peace and Love. Can one be real, while the other is merely an illusion? What is the purpose of the struggle in which we all live daily?

To Screwtape and Wormwood, greed and self interest are seen as virtues, while The Patient is drawn steadily into a world of Love and Self Sacrifice. When the Patient becomes a Christian, Screwtape is furious with his nephew, but still holds out hope that the hypocrisy of the Church will lead him to Hell. After all, as Screwtape explains, "The safest path to Hell is the gradual one." It is not necessary to have The Patient commit some horrendous deed to obtain his soul. A slight, but constant, chipping away at his morals should suffice.


Ultimately, Wormwood fails in his mission, as The Patient goes off to war and dies for a glorious cause. Screwtape is inconsolable, war is the worst enemy of the Devil. During wars, when both sides think they have the right of it, each side implores God for Victory. When confronted with tragedy, humans tend to do "good works" and help one another. This is just what Screwtape does not want.

When the Patient is killed fighting for what he believes in, his soul goes to Heaven, and the Devil goes hungry. But Screwtape is not that concerned, there are more souls to be devoured, and he just may start with his nephew...

Max McLean, as Screwtape, is impeccable. His diction, timing and poise are incredible and give creedence to his place as one of the world's greatest living narrators. The adaptation was done by Jeffrey Fiske, a former NASA consultant and Drew University Professor.

Of intersting note is that at the conclusion of the play, Mr. McLean stepped forward, out of character, and implored that we remember that he is not really Screwtape. He then invited the audience to remain for an ad hoc discussion of the presentation.

"Shadowlands" A Reading By The Old Courthouse Theatre

"Shadowlands", the William Nicholson play about the relationship between C.S.Lewis and his marraige to American poet Helen Joy Davidman (later Gresham and then Lewis) is a fabled romance in literary circles. Mr. Nicholsons' treatment of, and reading by, The Old Courthouse Theatre, located in Concord, both do the subject justice.

Briefly, the story is of C.S. Lewis, celebrated author, and the conflict between his intellect and his heart. After a lengthy correspondence he meets Mrs. Gresham in England in the early 1950's. She is a noted poet, having shared the 1938 Russell Loines Memorial Prize with Robert Frost. The two immediatley become quite attached to one another intellectually. He accepts her as an equal, and though they differ on some levels, they seem to recognize in one another a capacity that they have found lacking in others. They are kindred spirits.

She returns to America and divorces her husband, writer David Gresham, and then returns to England with her two sons, David and Douglas. Not wishing to return to America she and C.S.Lewis enter into a civil "marraige of convenience" in order to facilitate her remaining in England. They are still "intellectual" friends at this point. Later, when she is diagnosed with cancer, he marries her again, in the Church of England, despite her previous divorce. The ceremony was performed at her hospital bedside on March 21, 1956 by Mr. Lewis' freind Reverend Peter Bride. By 1960 she would pass away. It is worth noting that today would be their anniversary.

When Mr. Lewis first expounds on Gods pain being a sign of His love for us, he does not know Mrs. Gresham, and so may not have the necessary experience to draw this conclusion. Later on, after her death, he does question his own convictions, but much to his credit endures, and his faith in God ramains intact.

The opening of the play and the portrayal of C.S. Lewis delivering a lecture on the eternal question of "Why Does God Let Man Suffer", is superb. Will Baysinger delivers a terrific performance throughout the entire play- but this opening is his shining moment. In a delivery as potent as anything ever done by Ronald Coleman, he sets the pace for the rest of the play as he explores this still relevant question.

Kim Baysinger plays Joy and is so moved by her role, that near the end she is visibly weeping as she really "feels" the part. This is just a reading - but the audience can actually see and feel her pain. A very moving performance.

Playing the part of C.S. Lewis' brother Warnie was Tommy Warlick. His reading was "spot on" to the character he portrayed. He was, at times, acting with his hands. His interplay with Mr. Baysinger, seated next to him the entire time, gave both roles the intimacy they need and deserve.

Tim Thomas played Riley, a freind and confidante of the group of bachelors who make up Mr. Lewis' all male group of freinds prior to the arrival of Mrs. Gresham. He lends a nuanced and balanced aspect to the group, leaving you wishing he had more lines.

Tyler Warlick played the part of Mrs. Greshams' son Douglas (who wrote the original book, "Lenten Lands: My Childhood with Joy Davidman and CS Lewis" in 1988, and upon which this play is based). Young Mr. Warlick, along with his parents, who are also in the play, is remarkable in his timing and inflection, giving real dimension to such a small role. His father, as stated, plays Warnie and his mother, Katie Warlick, plays the role of the Registrar and Nurse at the hospital.

The narration, by Jonathan Ewart, was light and gave the audience just what it needed to let the play take over and serve as the bridge you cross on the journey back to England in the 1950's.

The Direction, also by Mr. Ewart, was equally understated, and enabled the play to do the talking. The characters are finely developed and the whole thing rolled along very smoothly. As in the last "reading" I attended, the stools simply disappeared and I found myself sitting in an English drawing room, fireplace, armchair and all.

This was a wonderful "reading" of a very beautifully written play. It tackles so much more than just the relationship between Mr. Lewis and Mrs. Gresham. It explores the self doubts and pain associated with ones own thoughts. Watch this space for information on Old Courthouse Theatres' next production. You really don't want to miss it.