Shadowlands

At the Malvern Theatre until 5 March, “The Chronicles of Narnia”writer C. S. Lewis shares the grief he experienced after his wife’s premature death from illness.  Using the novelist’s, “A Grief Observed”, playwright William Nicholson tells how Lewis met and fell in love with his wife, Joy Gresham.

It is the 1950s, in Oxford, England.  The play commences with a monologue by Lewis (Adrian Mulraney) about love, pain and suffering.  He poses the question, “If God loves me, why does he allow us to suffer so much?”  A big question that sets up the production’s subject matter.  Lewis, however, speaks these words with a smile and a sparkle in his eye.  He is a child.  Later he reflects on these same words changed: as a man.  The journey Lewis, affably referred to as Jack, undergoes is at the heart of this production.

The stage is cluttered with six bookshelves.  Perceptive eyes are rewarded, as subtle changes to the set are made.  Two tables and we’re at a Gentlemen’s Club; one table and an armchair and we’re at Lewis’s house.  A cafe requires colder lighting, whilst the hospital set is palpable.  It’s an efficient use of the space, however sometimes it’s too tight.  Perhaps this was director Michael Jewell’s argument for forgetting to direct his cast to move around the stage. 

Joy Gresham, played expertly by Emily O’Reilly, is a mystery.  She and Lewis had been exchanging letters prior to her visit to Oxford, which she proclaims are of the upmost importance to her.  However she’s quick to pick fights with him, which not only demonstrates her sharpness but also sets up their love-hate relationship that runs throughout the production.  This contrasts to her hate-hate relationship with Professor Riley, which provides a sizeable amount of comic relief.  In fact, Riley’s role is to break the tension, at all moments.  Upon Gresham’s death Riley utters, “Death does not improve character”. 

Weak visually, the play is an assault on the auditory senses.  The script is strong, with a dazzling cliff-hanger at the end of Act 1.  C. S. Lewis is accused of being an intellectual snob, and the dialogue is witty and profound enough to pull it off.  The script also honours the work of C. S. Lewis through Gresham’s son, Douglas.  The set works in conjunction with the “Narnia” references, and boldly plasters an image of a horse and a lion on the upstage door. 

The second act develops Gresham and Lewis’s friendship, and eventual marriage.   Gresham is as cold as the cafe lighting when we first meet her, but softens as she faces her immortality.  Lewis begins to take life more seriously, but retains his boyish charm.  Mulraney is likeable and at ease through every stage of his journey. 

Travis Hodgson’s lighting design effectively shows the passing of time, and Lewis’s eventual enlightenment.  Other production elements are shrewd in their delivery, including music and costume.  They work together to keep the themes at the forefront.

Community theatre is always worth supporting, and with a script that has been nominated for an Olivier award and an Academy Award, Shadowlands is definitely a production worth pondering over with friends and a glass of port.

Tammy Shmerling

Photographer: Richard Annable