REVIEW: "Shadowlands" Cast Walks Through the Shadow of Death and Suffering Without Fear

Shadowlands, a drama about Narnia author C.S. Lewis by William Nicholson and directed by Rachel Keen will be playing through May 4 at Magenta Theater, located at 606 Main St., Vancouver, Wash.  

The Man Behind Narnia

Clive (Jack) Staples Lewis was a well-respected writer and teacher from England's Oxford University. Much of the subject matter of his books and lectures concern Man’s relationship with God. But his most famous books were the bestselling Narnia collection, many of which have been adapted for film. In fact, he was, also, good friends with J.R.R. Tolkien, writer of the Lord of the Rings books, also filmed. [Shadowlands, too, was made into a movie starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger and Edward Hardwick.]

The story takes place in 1950s Oxford, his home for most of his life. Jack (played by Philip Giesy) and his older brother, Warnie (Bob Lawson), were confirmed bachelors and roomed together. Jack was constantly exploring the relationship between God and Man, questioning why, if there was a God, he would allow so much suffering in the world.

Lewis also had little to do with relationships, in the loving sense, with women. Both these feelings reflected back to losing his mother to cancer at an early age, which was painful for him. He felt the best way to deal with that scenario was to not hold anyone too close, therefore, avoiding the pain when death came calling. That is, until a fan from America, Joy (Shaye Eller), perked his interest into reopening intimate feeling for another.

Eventually they form a warm friendship, and finally love, and they marry. But suffering seems to be a permanent part of Lewis’s life, as cancer, once again, raises its ugly head and invades Joy’s body and bones. A remission sets in, but it is only a short reprieve for the inevitable. The man sworn to keep Love at a distance, to avoid the pain of loss must, once again, deal with it. “Pain is God’s megaphone to wake a deaf world,” he says.

The Actors Behind the Play

Although the play deals with a grim subject matter, it never wallows in the maudlin. This is due, in a large part, to the interpretation of the story by the director, Rachel Keen, and her talented cast. Keen also has the unenviable task of keeping the play flowing, though it takes place over a few years and in many different locations. In both these areas, she does a superior job with quick set changes, a cast playing multiple roles, and finding humor wherever she can.

Publicity Photo provided.

And the actors are universally good. The actors in the key roles of the two Lewis brothers and Joy are well-suited for their roles. Giesy underplays Jack, adding to the mystery of this complicated man. He is not overt in showing his emotions but you see the inner turmoil of this conflicted individual. He is especially effective in his monologues/lectures where he is totally believable and convincing. So convincing, that one audience member was nodding her head and whispering agreements as he was speaking these words.

Lawson also played Warnie in a low-key manner and the loving connection between the two brothers was evident. When they dialogued with each other, there was an air of authenticity and a sense of real conversation between the two. And Eller, as Joy, is impressive on the stage. Having last reviewed her as the detective in Magenta's Something to Hide, she, once again, shines. It is a pleasure to watch her react and enact, giving the impression this is all being done and said for the first time, as it should be.

As to the supporting roles: Josiah Keen as Joy’s son, Douglas, has some nice moments. Mike Nettleton as Christopher, Jack's atheist friend, gives a good account of himself as the bombastic member of the group. Bob Madsen (a local theater veteran) as Harry, the preacher who offers Jack religious homilies, another aspect of Jack’s relationships with friends, also does quite well.

This is a well-written show and should be seen for some very important questions it raises about Love, God and Man’s purpose in Life. Heady questions with no easy answers. It is a story that should create dialogue long after one’s viewing. According to Lewis, although Man has often been rebuked and condemned by God, He has never regarded us with contempt…a complicated relationship, to say the least. 

For further information and tickets, check Magenta's website.

I recommend this show. If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

Dennis Sparks, Guest Reviewer 
www.dennissparksreviews.blogspot.com

COMING SOON: This Month's Theater Offerings Sure to Please

"Harvey" opens this weekend at the Love Street Playhouse. Our review, by Dennis Sparks, will appear by noon Saturday.

Next week we review both Stageworks Northwest's production of "The Secret Garden" (review by Gregory E. Zschomler) and the Rising Star production of "Camelot" will be reviewed by Dennis Sparks (both in Longview).

Our reviews will appear by noon the day following opening night.

The following week we are pleased to be able to review the Northwest debut of Disney's "TARZAN" at NHCC in Eugene (both Dennis
and Greg will review the show).

We will also review "Shadowlands" at Vancouver's Magenta Theater (reviewed by Dennis). The Magenta review will appear on the 21st and the NHCC review will appear on the 22nd.

See our preview of "TARZAN" here.

AND, coming up in June, both Dennis Sparks and I will review three shows playing at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival in Ashland, Ore.

COMING SOON for the SW Wash. Spring 2013 Theater Season

Here's a list of shows you might want to catch this season. Can't decide? Read our upcoming opening night reviews.

HARVEY, opens April 5 at Love Street Playhouse (Woodland), directed by Christopher Cleveland.

Elwood P. Dowd is an affable man who claims to have an unseen (and presumably imaginary) friend Harvey — whom Elwood describes as a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall pooka resembling an anthropomorphic rabbit. Elwood introduces Harvey to everyone he meets. His social-climbing sister, Veta, increasingly finds his eccentric behavior embarrassing. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her and her daughter Myrtle Mae from future embarrassment. When they arrive at the sanitarium, a comedy of errors ensues.

CAMELOT, opens April 12, presented by Rising Star Productions (Longview) at their theater in Three Rivers Mall (Kelso).

This beloved musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe, which played on Broadway for over 800 performances. It is the story of King Arthur, his lovely wife, Guenevere, and his best friend, Lancelot. King Arthur is determined to create a kingdom where might is used for right and the knights are a force for good. This musical includes songs such as: If Ever I Would Leave You, What Would the Simple Folk Do, The Lusty Month of May, How to Handle a Woman and many more.

THE SECRET GARDEN, April 12 presented by Stageworks Northwest (Longview). 

Winner of three Tony® Awards, this enchanting classic of children's literature is reimagined in brilliant musical style by composer Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "'Night Mother." Orphaned in India, 11 year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with her embittered, reclusive uncle Archibald and his invalid son Colin. The estate's many wonders include a magic garden which beckons the children with haunting melodies and the "Dreamers", spirits from Mary's past who guide her through her new life. "The Secret Garden" is a compelling tale of forgiveness and renewal.

SHADOWLANDS, opens April 19 at Magenta Theater (Vancouver).

This West End and Broadway hit is the love story of C.S. Lewis - Oxford don and author of The Chronicles of Narnia - and American poet Joy Davidman. Lewis is smug in his convictions about God and His plan for the world until Joy and her young son enter his life. This is a deep, meaty and dramatic play that will touch you.

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, opens April 25 presented by Prairie-Ground Drama (Battle Ground).

"Once Upon a Mattress" features music by Mary Rodgers along with lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson and Dean Fuller. The musical original started life off-Broadway, before coming to the mainstream theater in 1959. The musical-comedy script is based on the classic fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea" and features a number of catchy songs. 

REASONS TO BE PRETTY, opens May 3 at the Clark Community College Decker Theater (Vancouver). Directed by Pat Rohrbach.

In "Reasons to Be Pretty," Greg’s tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker’s pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph’s lack thereof get back to Steph. But that’s just the beginning. Greg’s best buddy, Kent, and Kent’s wife, Carly, also enter into the picture, and the emotional equation becomes exponentially more complicated. As their relationships crumble, the four friends are forced to confront a sea of deceit, infidelity, and betrayed trust in their journey to answer that oh-so-American question: How much is pretty worth?

A MAGICAL MELODRAMA, opens May 3 at Love Street Playhouse (Woodland), presented by Golden Garter Family Theater. Written and directed by magician, ventriloquist and comedian Steve Taylor.

A comedy-spoof-magical adventure, fracturing for fun the conventions of the classic melodrama! The perfect family theater outing, “A Magical Melodrama” was a big hit in all of it’s previous presentations and now you can create a family-friendly event that will give you “memories that will last a lifetime!” Clean enough for kids, clever enough for adults, bring everyone to this hilarious spoof and “laugh ‘til your cheeks hurt!”

CLOUD 9, opens May 22 at the Rose Center for the Performing Arts, presented by Lower Columbia College (Longview). 

A time shifting British-African comedy by Caryl Churchill. Both parody and spoof of the 1880s Victorian Empire and its rigid attitudes towards sex. The play shifts twenty-five* years later to London in 1980 where all the characters' repressed sexual longings have evaporated along with the British Empire. (*Editor's Note: I know, I know, it's not a typo, it's a plot device.)

FUDDY MEERS, by David Lindsey-Abaire, opens May 31 at Serendipity Playhouse (Vancouver).

A woman with a rare form of amnesia wakes up every morning a blank slate. Her husband explains the situation, gives her breakfast and a book of essential information before taking his morning shower. As soon as he’s gone, a man claiming to be her brother arrives, telling her he’s there to rescue her. Like Alice through the looking glass, it’s there that her adventure truly begins.

Watch for our Reviews the day after opening night! If your play is not listed here and you would like it reviewed and advertised on our blog, contact us at swwastar@aol.com.