Screwtape On Stage

Paul the Regular Guy Recommended a play he went to see Saturday night. It was a stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. It is being put on by the FPA Theatre Company (Fellowship for the Performing Arts) at The Mercury Theatre, 3745 N. Southport, Chicago, IL 60613 (near Wrigley Field).

Paul highly recommends the play & after checking out the video promo & the FPA website all I can say is that I hope it comes to DBQ sometime soon.

The book was adapted for the stage by Jeffery Fiske and Max McLean. It stars Max McLean as Screwtape, Yvonne Gougelet as Toadpipe & is directed by Jeffery Fiske.

The adaptation is interesting. The prolog is taken from Screwtape Proposes a Toast. The rest of the play takes place in Screwtape's office in Hell. The play consists of Screwtape dictating his letters to his nephew Wormwood. Toadpipe, his secretary, is a silent role. Basically, the character acts out in pantomime some of the things Screwtape describes as well as reacting to Screwtape's various outbursts.

Check out Paul's post for a full review of the play.

The FPA descibes its mission as "to produce theatre from a Christian worldview that is engaging to a diverse audience." From the video below, I can say that, in this case, it looks like the suceeded. McLean seems to capture Screwtape's personality very well. I am also impressed that they didn't try to play him as a stereotypical demon, but rather as a middle-management bureaucrat. Using Toadpipe as they did also seems to work well.

A few months ago I discovered that Screwtape was being made into a movie. I admit I had mixed feelings about how well it could be done. Knowing Hollywood, I still do. But after seeing the video for this play, I am much more assured that it is possible to do a decent adaptation.

For those in the Chicago area, I join in Paul's recommendation that you check it out. Its run has been extended until 4 January 2009. & to anyone in DBQ who can, please bring the play here ASAP.