An Evening with CS Lewis

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Ajnos
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An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by Ajnos » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:36 am

This isn't exactly a Narnia show, but I think it can fit in here. I know a couple of you have seen performances of "An Evening with CS Lewis" and Swan wrote a review of it (which she hopefully still has a copy of and can be put up on the new site). Well he finally decided to bring his show to the UK and I got to see a performance of it on Saturday at the Kilns.

It's a one-man show in which David Payne pretends to be CS Lewis talking to a group of American authors in the final years of his life. He basically tells them his life story. Usually he does the performance for large crowds in theatres and the like but this was in the library of the Kilns which could only fit in 20 people (he did 5 performances in total throughout the week). It was very good, although you could tell that it was written with an American audience in mind (he made a joke about iced tea) and that he probably was less used to such an intimate setting (sometimes he came across as a little too theatrical, which I could see as coming across fine on a stage, but made it less convincing as he sat on that chair in the library not far in front of a small group). I tried to imagine he really was Lewis and couldn't quite convince myself. I think he also missed a few opportunities to make use of the fact that he was really in Oxford, in Lewis' house. For example he would refer to Headington (the town/suburb of Oxford where the Kilns is) as "the village" rather than just "here", and when he referred to the first house Joy lived in he could have said "just down the road" and pointed in the direction where it was. But in all it was a great performance and a privilege to be there (he didn't even charge for it, but asked for voluntary donations to go towards the running of the Kilns centre). I had the opportunity to greet and thank him afterwards. I also met two old ladies who were at the show, one of whom said she was at Oxford 60 years ago and used to attend some of Lewis' lectures. The second lady (who it turned out was a Classicist, and like me, prefers Greek over Latin) had been to some of his lectures in Cambridge when she was training to be a teacher there. Apparently earlier in the week, a man had come to a performance who was a childhood friend of Douglas Gresham and used to play in the woods by the Kilns with him.

Has any one else seen the show? If so, please share your experiences.
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Re: An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by Benisse » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:36 am

Wow, Ajji 0.0 How special to see that show in the Kilns!
I have not seen it, but would love to see it if it comes around where I live.
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Re: An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by Swanwhite » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:36 am

Found my review :)

An Evening with C.S.Lewis

It's funny.

On Wednesday at youth group we discussed as an illustration how we would react to meeting our favourite celebrities. Meeting C.S.Lewis was brought up and thought funny because the reaction would be mostly surprise at his being alive.

On Friday I spent the evening with C.S.Lewis.

Well not literally, but as close as I’m likely to get this side of heaven. It was a one man show written and acted by David Payne and titled “An Evening with C.S.Lewis“.

I was thrilled when I got a call from friends who were reserving box seats for the show. In addition to my interest in C.S.Lewis, I think box seats are the things of stories. I was perhaps a little disappointed to find the boxes were not quite the shadowy and ornate things of the Scarlet Pimpernel or the Phantom of the Opera. However, as modern as they were, they still made for a delightful view of the stage. It was like being seated in a bird’s nest. Really I carry on far too much about box seats, but I suppose this could be both a review of the show and of box seats in general.

As I settled in my perch I felt a thrill of excitement at the sight of the stage and the simple props of an antique chair and a table set for tea. I felt as if I could reach out and touch them, and that is really the greatest advantage of live theatre. C.S.Lewis stepped out on stage with a steaming pot of tea and welcomed us to his home. I was hanging on every word for the next hour or so.

The substance of the monologue was the life story of Lewis with special attention to his journey to faith, and writing career. There was also an emphasis on the relationships that influenced both of those aspects. The second half of the show was almost entirely given to his love story with Joy.

The humour was not lacking. All the funny stories and lines that you would expect and more besides were delivered with perfect comic timing. The only downside could be the one or two places where the humour was edging on what could be considered not appropriate for all ages.

David Payne remained the character of C.S.Lewis through the performance. That is, he didn’t become the other characters in his anecdotes even when quoting them. It was still C.S.Lewis telling the funny thing that Joy said or that Warnie did. I have seen a single actor give the impression of distinct characters, but that wasn’t the case here. It was C.S.Lewis the whole way, but that was alright. It was C.S.Lewis who I went to see.

David Payne is qualified for the role of C.S.Lewis on a number of accounts. Firstly, he is British. He had no extra work for the accent, and I think this also gives him a better understanding of the role. Secondly, He is a talented actor and portrayed a warm, witty, and sincere C.S.Lewis. A lengthy monologue of this sort must be hard to memorize, but he delivered it well. Any places he might have stumbled over a line came across as normal conversation. Even when his chair started to break partway through, he made it part of the scene and performed the rest standing. Thirdly, he has a very decent likeness to C.S.Lewis. Not quite a twin, but a good enough double. Finally, what I think qualifies Payne the most is that he is himself a knowledgeable fan of the C.S.Lewis. This comes out in the script and in the way he speaks about C.S.Lewis when out of character.

To the casual fan, the show is a great way to learn about the life of C.S.Lewis and the influences on his writing. But what about for the dedicated fan who has already read all he wrote and a half dozen biographies and seen both versions of the Shadowlands? Is it still worthwhile to hear again all the quotes and stories you are already familiar with? The answer is yes. It is true that I knew most of the punch lines and plot twists before they came, but hearing them live and as if from Jack himself was a whole new experience.

So in conclusion, I heartily recommend going to see “An Evening with C.S.Lewis” if it comes your way.
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Re: An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by Mercy » Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:37 am

Sounds like an awesome show to see.

I'd go if I ever had the chance!
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Re: An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by freddysagan » Sun Nov 18, 2018 7:43 pm

Would love to see it!
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Re: An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by HermitoftheNorthernMarch » Mon Dec 10, 2018 8:48 pm

Apparently he is still doing the tour. His site only posts times and places for 2018, so it doesn't have his schedule for next year. https://www.aneveningwithcslewis.com/tour/

Note: I haven't seen him perform.
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Re: An Evening with CS Lewis

Post by kristi » Wed Dec 12, 2018 4:46 pm

Excellent show. You might also be able to order a DVD of it, at least they sell one when he tours.

I've really enjoyed all the small one and two man shows I've seen about Lewis. Max McLean's The Screwtape Letters, his The Most Reluctant Convert, and the larger The Great Divorce by his company are all good, with Screwtape probably the most memorable, though Max plainly lacks the dedication to turn himself into an actual centipede onstage. >.>

Freud's Last Session is another show involving Lewis that is excellent, and if you can catch the one-man show of The Great Divorce by Anthony Lawton, it's my favorite of that story that I've seen, despite being smaller in scale.

You can see a little of Lawton's performance here, though the quality is poor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh2NJLYihOA

I should put together a page of these best Lewis-related shows...sadly I've never found a Narnia play that just made me want to shout with joy...the set and costume design for the PCPA version were incredible, but the songs were sub-par.
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