C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE to be Presented at The Kauffman Center

Fellowship for Performing Arts will return to live theatrical performances in Kansas City on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. with the hit national tour of C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce. This acclaimed production shows Lewis "at his imaginative best," as described by the Dallas Morning News.

The Great Divorce is a mesmerizing fantasy about heaven and hell brought to life on stage with Lewis' signature wit, amazing actors and dazzling, state-of-the-art projections.

Now, this updated and expanded version of the original production features four actors portraying 22 vivid characters. They take a strange bus trip from hell to the outskirts of heaven, where they are given an opportunity to stay or return to hell. The choice proves to be much harder than imagined. And it all takes place in 85 minutes!

The cast of The Great Divorce includes Joel Rainwater (The Lion King), Jonathan Hadley (Jersey Boys), Carol Halstead (Gore Vidal's The Best Man) and Tom Souhrada (Mary Poppins, Kinky Boots).

The Great Divorce is a companion piece to FPA's hit adaptation of Lewis' The Screwtape Letters.

"In The Great Divorce, Lewis poses a most challenging question," writes FPA Artistic Director Max McLean. "Are the gates of hell locked from the inside?"

Through the play Lewis responds, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in hell, choose it. The choice of every lost soul is 'Better to reign in hell than serve in Heaven.' There's always something they'd rather have than joy."

The Great Divorce is adapted for the stage by Max McLean (C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert, The Screwtape Letters) and directed by Christa Scott-Reed (FPA's Shadowlands, A Man for All Seasons). Scenic design is by Kelly James Tighe (National Tour-Cats), costume design by Nicole Wee (New York-Storyville, Henry Hewes and Audelco nominations-Outstanding Costume Design), lighting design by Geoffrey D. Fishburn (National Tours-Dreamgirls, West Side Story), projection design by Rachael Cady (Cirque du Soleil-Wintuk), original music and sound design by John Gromada (Tony Nominee-The Trip to Bountiful), fight direction by Steve Rankin (Broadway-Carousel, Drama Desk Award Outstanding Fight Choreography) and casting by Carol Hanzel. Ken Denison is the Executive Producer. General Manager is Aruba Productions.

After a 20-month hiatus, Kansas City is the second stop of the 2021 national tour. For additional tour cities, visit FPAtheatre.com.

A New York City-based production company founded by Artistic Director Max McLean, Fellowship for Performing Arts' mission is to produce theatre and film from a Christian worldview that engages diverse audiences. In addition to its annual New York season where it has produced Paradise Lost, A Man for All Seasons, Shadowlands, C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert, The Great Divorce and Martin Luther on Trial at The Pearl Theatre and at Theatre Row, it tours in major performance venues nationwide and recently added a university tour that includes Columbia, Brown, Princeton, UC-Berkeley, UNC-Chapel Hill, UT-Austin, Duke, Vanderbilt, Penn and UVA, among others. FPA also will premiere its first film production this year - The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis.

INFORMATION:

What: C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce

Where: Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Muriel Kauffman Theatre

1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108

When: Saturday, Sept. 11 - 4 p.m.

Tickets

Prices: $49 - $69, Premium tickets $89 (plus applicable fees)

Groups of 10 or more, please email groups@fpatheatre.com.

Note: All tickets are subject to additional fees. No refunds or exchanges.

Online or Phone: kauffmancenter.org or by calling (816) 994-7222

In-Person: No purchases can be made at the box office at this time.

C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce

Produced by Fellowship for Performing Arts
Max McLean, Artistic Director
630 9th Avenue, Suite 1409, New York NY 10036

Written by Max McLean
Directed by Christa Scott-Reed
Ken Denison, Executive Producer
Kelly James Tighe, Set Design
Nicole Wee, Costume Design
Geoffrey D. Fishburn, Lighting Design
John Gromada, Original Music and Sound Design
Rachel Cady, Projection Design
Steve Rankin, Fight Direction
Aruba Productions, General Management

The Great Divorce Tour Schedule

Irvine CA | Sept. 16-18, 2021Walnut Creek CA | Sept. 25-26, 2021Phoenix/Mesa | Oct. 2, 2021Tulsa | Oct. 10, 2021Oklahoma City | Oct. 16, 2021Grand Rapids | Nov. 6, 2021Indianapolis | Nov. 13, 2021St. Louis | Nov. 20, 2021Cleveland | Dec. 4, 2021

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