Lantern Theater Company caps the 2009/10 Season with a limited three-week engagement of Anthony Lawton's adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. Opening night is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at 7pm and the closing performance is Sunday, June 6.
In a dark corner of Hell's bureaucracy sits mid-level demon Screwtape, scratching out letters to his nephew, Wormwood, filled with advice on how to corrupt a human soul. Gleefully, Screwtape catalogs the list of human frailties upon which Wormwood is to prey - war, lust, debauchery, decadence, and all sorts of wickedness.
Anthony Lawton's rollicking adaptation turns the revered
C.S. Lewis classic into a sumptuous multimedia event with music, dance, and infernal unpredictability.
Persuaded by several friends, including
J.R.R. Tolkien,
C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) converted from staunch atheist to Christian in his mid-twenties. Following his conversion, he wrote several books which still sell millions of copies all over the world today. Most of these works were colored by his experience as a Christian, including works of Christian apologetics (Mere Christianity), satire and fiction (The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Space Trilogy, Till We Have Faces), and children's fantasy (The Chronicles of Narnia).
Anthony Lawton's adaptation uses Lewis' words as a springboard to explore the philosophical and visceral landscape of Hell, incorporating tap dancing, fire-eating, and whip-work to illustrate the seven deadly sins amidst Screwtape's poetic letters. Lawton, who also stars as Screwtape, has cultivated a long-term artistic partnership with the Lantern that has included recent biennial productions of his
C.S. Lewis adaptations The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce and the 2005 world premiere of his original play The Foocy, now running at Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington.
Junior tempter Toadpipe will be played by Philadelphia actress
Kim Carson, seen most recently in InterAct Theatre Company's Off-Broadway-bound When We Go Upon The Sea. The creative team includes costume designer Jessica Reed, lighting designer Stephen Hungerford, sound designer Larry D. Fowler, Jr., and projection designer James Doolittle.
Tickets are $25-$35 and are available online at
www.lanterntheater.org or by phone at 215.829.0395. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only. Additional discounts are available for seniors and groups of 10 or more.
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