The Screwtape Letters
The Lantern Theatre Company remounts its production of the C.S. Lewis classic, The Screwtape Letters, in a special addition to the company’s 14th season. Premiered in the 2000 Philly Fringe, the show is adapted by and stars Philly veteran Anthony Lawton, and runs until January 13th.
Screwtape, entrenched between "Our Father Below" and his hapless nephew, the apprentice tempter/demon Wormwood, is a fount of malign tactics for luring human souls into damnation. Leading people into hell is a delicate and complicated business. Screwtape instructs his protégé on the importance of "imaginary benevolence": hatred for faraway despots is of no use to devils while charity to neighbors is in action. Lewis’ devils work tirelessly to direct all aspects of anger and superciliousness towards the neighbor - thus hatred becomes embedded in the will while kindness recedes to the realm of fantasy. The demons, baffled by the heavenly "Enemy", cling to the most important demonic tenet of all: "one thing is not another thing." Where all things are separate, the good of separate beings cannot be shared, and therefore love cannot exist.
Lawton’s adaptation is essentially a one-man show of Screwtape’s letters adapted into monologues and strung together by a series of absolutely weird physical duets featuring Toadpipe, a demon secretary (Genevieve Perrier). Between dictating letters that range from hopeful to vitriolic, the play departs from the original literature as Screwtape cuts loose for some fierce tap dancing, kinky whip-cracking, and even a taste of fire. Meant to represent the seven deadly sins, these sexy and exuberant movement pieces work as a needed balance to the philosophizing. However, the production often feels like two plays crammed into one, with abrupt yet predictable transitions.
Lawton’s largely faithful adaptation is ripe for searing topical references on everything from war to modern celebrity, which are emphasized through projections of photos and diagrams. However, the play sometimes feels caught between the literature’s original setting and the contemporary visuals. While Screwtape’s advice on exploiting human insecurity is aptly given a modern edge with images of anorexic pop stars, the visual counterparts to Screwtape’s raptures on war are firmly kept deep in the past, with old photos true to the original book’s WWII setting. When most other aspects of the performance welcome contemporary cultural and political references, keeping Screwtape’s reflections on war visually and verbally tied to WWII seems like an omission.
The Lantern’s latest production is, as usual, simple yet effective, philosophical yet funny and accessible. Student designers Jessica Reed and Christopher Hetherington provide Costume and Lighting Design with transitions as abrupt as the script’s. Adam Riggar’s simplistic set provides for a surprising amount of devilish exchanges, though Sound Engineer Larry Fowler Jr. often overpowers the action onstage. Without the versatility and commitment of Anthony Lawton’s performance, Screwtape’s letters might evaporate as long monologues spoken to an unseen listener. But Lawton never fails to ignite Screwtape’s ironies, desires and desperation. Genevieve Perrier, appearing as everything from vixen to secretary to surgeon, succeeds in the demanding secondary role of Toadpipe.
The Lantern’s Screwtape Letters is a worthwhile visit to the C.S. Lewis classic. The questions it asks about our human capacity for love, so baffling to the demons, are the heart of the show. Tickets to The Screwtape Letters, now through January 13th, are available online through the Lantern’s website or through the Lantern box office at 215-829-0395.
The Screwtape Letters
The Lantern Theatre Company
St. Stephen’s Theatre, 10th and Ludlow
Jan 2 -13, 2008
