"Shadowlands" by William Nicholson
Lace Market Theatre

The story follows author C.S. Lewis as he meets an American poet and Lewis fan, Joy Gresham, whom he befriends and eventually marries. The story also deals with his struggle with personal pain and grief: Lewis preaches that one should endure suffering with patience, but finds that the simple answers he had preached no longer apply when Joy becomes afflicted with cancer.

I deliberately didn't read up on this play, watch the TV play or take a look at the film because I knew that this would be quite an emotional experience; and I was not wrong.

Don't get me wrong there is an enormous amount of humour in this play, but when it comes to the emotional side, it really hits the mark. Something that we can praise Director Graeme Jennings for, for getting these emotional performances from his cast of actors.

Nik Hedges plays C.S. Lewis and right from the get go, he entered the upstairs performing space and instantly connected with the up close audience, looking us in the eye when addressing us. Nik's final performance with Gresham's son, Douglas, was emotional enough to bring the room to complete silence.

Major W.H. “Warnie” Lewis is played by Fraser Wanless, and I am sure that I have mentioned this before, but Fraser is one of those character actors who can manage to come across different every time he performs. "Warnie" is Jack's elder brother who shares a place, and their two character's chemistry, and their synchronicity was quite magical. Just watch the sections where they are taking their morning tea!

Laura Chambers plays Joy Gresham, and I don't think I've seen Laura before. If I have had the pleasure, I apologise, but I will now not forget her for this role. Her accent was placed perfectly as the Jew based in New York. As I said I had no prior knowledge of the play or story, but I placed Joy's geographical position just by that accent. A really emotional performance, but Laura also provided her share of the comedy, balancing the character wonderfully.

Yunus Smith (Douglas) is a real find. Not only does he have that "sponge" learning where you can soak everything up, he looks natural, as does his Brooklyn accent. Again, a nice range of emotions, from the excitable, but unimpressed first meeting of Lewis, to the scene with Lewis in Act Two.

Daniel Bryant (Professor Christopher Riley) is also a joy to watch, and I loved the reaction he received from the audience to some of his comments about the fairer sex!

Tom Rostron (Rev Harry Harrington) completed the foursome drinking group, and when these four got together in the local hostelry, you knew there would be fun or fireworks.

Marcus Wakely (Priest) appears at the end to marry Lewis and Gresham.

Katie Buckingham plays the Barmaid, Waitress, Registrar and the Doctor, and, while I enjoyed all the characters, I especially loved her part of the registrar. I won't say why, but when you see this role, you will know why.

Directed by Graeme Jennings, the pace was perfect, and as I mentioned before, the pathos and comedy were well balanced.

Lighting Design by Phil Anthony and Sound and Projection Design by Gareth Morris, these fields really were done so well and added that certain feel and look to this piece of theatre, both setting the scenes and positioning us in the timeline of events throughout this story.

I must also mention the stage management for this play. Being in the upstairs performing space, which anyone who has seen theatre here, will know that there is a certain amount of intrusion with stage management, it can't be helped, but it was almost a silently choreographed affair with the management of the props. So a mention to both Arnd Korn and Sam Howitt.

"Shadowlands" is a powerful and emotional piece of theatre, and while sometimes after seeing a play on stage, I will take a look at the film, not in this case, because I feel it won't be as good as what I saw her at the Lace Market Theatre.

Read the original article here.

Shadowlands Lace Market Theatre

SHADOWLANDS begins with a smug and breezy CS Lewis at a lectern giving a powerful and neat-sounding explanation as to how a supposedly loving God can allow undeserved suffering to flourish. Directly post-interval the scene is paralleled with a similar speech. But this time CSL is not at all smug, and the explanation is more obviously uncertain.

This classic argument against the existence of an all-loving God is the central issue of the play.

It's a sanitised and simplified presentation of the real-life facts of the matter. Lewis, Oxford academic and writer, famous Christian apologist and creator of the Narnia books, in middle age meets a much younger Jewish-American ex-Communist woman and has his life turned over. After marrying, they are parted by her death.

As Lewis, Nik Hedges avoids the temptation to go for impersonation, yet he captures all the habitual inhibitions of his man brilliantly. His delivery of the two public speeches is masterly. And his high emotion scenes are never allowed to collapse into hammy sentiment. The episode near the end with him sobbing his heart out is terrific.

Laura Chambers is a brilliant Joy Gresham. She strongly resembles the real-life Gresham. Again, there's no hamming, and with her blunt speech she's the perfect antidote to Lewis and his stuffy bachelor friends.

Lewis's brother Warnie is done by Fraser Wanless. A trifle over-loud in the context of an upstairs studio production, he's nevertheless completely convincing in the role. And Joy's young son, Douglas - a tricky part - is well played by Yunus Smyth.

A simple set, well-chosen background piano music and tasteful back projection complete the package. This is an obvious must-see for your CS Lewis buff - and, indeed, for anyone else.