Wednesday, January 12, 1999
Wednesday, January 12, 1999 |
| Alliance
Theatre to perform 'Shadowlands' By MICHAEL
BOYLAN There is nothing as powerful as a love letter. The correspondence between two kindred spirits has engaged nearly everyone at some point in their lives. It is because it is such a universal experience that productions like the perennial Broadway favorite “Love Letters” and “Shadowlands,” to be performed soon at the Alliance Theatre, find success with a wide audience. Starting Jan. 13, the Alliance Theatre will present the story of C.S. Lewis and his marriage to American poet Joy Davidman Gresham. “Shadowlands” has been written for nearly every medium, starting first with a script written for television that was never produced. The author of the play, William Nicholson, revived the idea and saw it performed as a TV film in 1985, a play in 1990 performed in London and on Broadway, and a film starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger in 1993. He penned all three versions of the script. The story deals with the true story of Lewis and Gresham, who first find friendship as pen pals. The fiery Gresham visits England one summer with her son and ends up marrying Lewis, the reclusive scholar, to stay in the country. Though the two have formed a close, intellectual relationship, it is not until Lewis finds he might lose Gresham to illness that he discovers his true love for the woman. The story is quite interesting, not only because it deals with one of the greatest British scholars and authors of the 20th century, but because the characters' thoughts and actions are so universal. The same things are felt and said today, 50 years later. Lewis was a renowned theological author, often articulating his perspectives on the Christian faith. It is through his relationship with Gresham that he truly experiences the faith that he so often wrote about. “Shadowlands” will run Jan. 13 - Feb. 6 at the Alliance Theater. Performances are Tuesdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday matinees will be Jan. 29 at 2:30 p.m (audio described) and Feb. 5 at 2:30 p.m. (sign interpreted). Tickets are $15-$40 and may be purchased at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office or by calling 404-733-5000. Tickets also may be ordered on-line at www.alliancetheatre.org. “Shadowlands” is the type of piece that will remind you what we, as humans, truly seek in other people.
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