Enthusiastically, Dawn

It is a fact one of my all time favorite books, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, has been made into a theatrical production. It is also a fact that I was thrilled to hear it would finally be coming to the stage, here in Rhode Island. The best news of all is, I will be in attendance and am thrilled to the gills (didn’t know about my gills, eh?), that I will be able to tell you every detail of my experience in an upcoming post!

So pardon my excitement, and a shout out thanks to Micheal Gravison and The Vets for making it possible.

Now, you fans of C.S. Lewis, Screwtape, Narnia, and Aslan, and all of my fellow Tolkien, LOTR fans and friends- take heed and check out the details from the Press Release below (Press Release below) and stay tuned for my follow up- or even better-hope to see you there! (Insert Dance of Joy here!)

The National Tour of THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS kicked off after a hit nine-month run at the Westside Theatre in New York City where it entertained 50,000 theatergoers.  Prior to that, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS was a sold-out hit in Chicago and Washington D. C. where it ran for a combined eight months.

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS’ National Tour has delighted capacity audiences in 50 major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Seattle, Dallas and Houston.   Over 400,000 have seen this production on tour, which continues to attract a national following.

Associated Press calls THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS “Devilishly funny!” The Chicago Sun-Times hails the production as “Smart, sizzling entertainment!” The Boston Globe raves that it is “Engrossing and Entertaining!” and The Chicago Tribune says THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is “Very smart…richly rewarding…exuberant theatricality!”

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS creates a topsy-turvy morally inverted universe set in an eerily stylish office in hell, where God is called the “Enemy” and the devil is referred to as “Our Father below.”  The play follows His Abysmal Sublimity Screwtape, Satan’s top psychiatrist (due to his profound understanding of human nature), and his slavish creature-demon Toadpipe, as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on how to ruin the life and damn the soul of an unsuspecting human on earth.  Screwtape is played by award winning actor, Max McLean.

Along with The Chronicles of Narnia (including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe), The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is still one of Lewis’ most popular and influential works.  The book’s piercing insight into human nature and the lucid and humorous way Lewis makes his readers squirm in self-recognition made it an immediate success.  When first published in 1942 it brought worldwide fame to this little-known Oxford don including the cover of Time Magazine.

The idea for Screwtape first came to Lewis after listening to Hitler’s Reichstag Speech on July 19, 1940, while it was simultaneously translated on BBC Radio.  Lewis wrote “I don’t know if I’m weaker than other people, but it is a positive revelation to me how while the speech lasts it is impossible not to waver just a little… Statements which I know to be untrue all but convince me…if only the man says them unflinchingly.” 

Lewis dedicated it to his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien who had expressed to Lewis that delving too deeply into the craft of evil would have consequences.  Lewis admitted as much when he wrote “Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment . . . though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The work into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded.”

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is produced by New York City based Fellowship for Performing Arts. Max McLean serves as Artistic Director.  Executive Producer and General Manager is Ken Denison of Aruba Productions. Scenic Design is by Cameron Anderson, Costumes by Michael Bevins, Lighting Design by Jesse Klug, and Original Music and Sound Design by John Gromada.

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the provocative and wickedly funny theatrical adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view, comes to Providence for one performances only.

The production will appear at The VETS on October 28, 2015 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $68-$38 and can be purchased online at TheVetsRI.com; by calling (401) 421.ARTS (2787) or by visiting the PPAC/The VETS Box Office located at 220 Weybosset St. in Providence. Summer Box Office hours are M-Th 10am-3pm. The VETS is located at One Avenue of the Arts. The VETS on-site Box Office is only open on show days.

For more information contact Michael Gravison, The VETS, at mgravison@pfmcorp.com or 401.222.1467.

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