The Screwtape Letters on Stage

[Mercy]

Ever since I heard that someone had adapted Screwtape for the stage, I really wanted to see it. I finally had the opportunity this summer, although it was about three hours away to get there.

All the lines were spoken by Max McLean, but there was another actor playing Toadpipe as the Screwtape's assistant which added more variety to the simple setup of the play. The play definitely depended on the words written by Lewis and the performance of the actor and both were excellent. There was nothing new -- I know the book very, very well -- but I enjoyed being reminded again of powerful themes about living the Christian life.

The play apparently runs over an hour and a half, but it honestly seemed like 20 minutes to me. I truly enjoyed it. After I got home, my husband asked, "Was that worth a six hour drive today?", and I said, "Yes!"

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

I read it over the summer and loved it. This stageplay sounds just as good!

[Benisse]

I agree with Mercy; this play is worth a drive. MacLean does an excellent job editing the Screwtape Letters so the key story is there without feeling edited, and the staging keeps things moving forward very well.

[Ajnos]

It sounds great. I read it for the first time last year and I can imagine it working well as a play. I'm much more sceptical of Douglas Gresham's plans to make a film version.

[Mercy]

I could see an interesting film version being done showing the young man in real life, his experiences with church life, his mother, the "elite" set he gets into for a while, his girlfriend and her family, the war. The problem is that all of that would take a very deft touch at writing since Screwtape just touches on it but doesn't actually give word-for-word conversations. Also that would bog the story down and force someone to leave out a lot of the meat of the story.

A one-person play can be fascinating. I'm not sure about a one-person MOVIE. (And, yes, in a way there's TWO people because of Toadflax.)

[Petraverd]

I had a chance to see this a few months ago myself, and I was glad I did. Excellent adaptation of the letters, and MacLean made for a smashing Screwtape. He held a Q&A session afterward, which I stayed for (and asked a question of my own), and he proved himself very knowledgeable and thoughtful as well, which I appreciated. I may have a chance again come the fall to see it again, and if I do - I'm definitely taking it.