Performing
a Christian Icon:
Tom Key's C. S. Lewis on Stage
by
Robert J. Hubbard Reprinted
by permission of Perspectives: A
Journal of Reformed Thought. Witnessing
an actor play C.S. Lewis on stage hardly strikes the contemporary viewer as a
novel experience. For over a decade, various versions of William Nicholson's drama
Shadowlands have traversed their way through different mediums, providing Lewis
impersonators with unprecedented employment. Joss Ackland first played the Oxford
don in the BBC teleplay (1985), followed by Nigel Hawthorn on stage in the West
End and on Broadway (1989), followed by Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-nominated film
portrayal (1993). Although
these high-profile productions dominate the Lewis landscape, the first, the longest
running, and arguably the most ambitious theatrical portrait of the esteemed Christian
writer comes, remarkably enough, from an American. Since 1978, Tom Key, an Atlanta-based
actor and playwright, has given hundreds of performances of his one-person show,
C.S. Lewis on Stage. Presented in such venues as Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts and Oxford University, the play boasts a distinguished
list of enthusiasts, including Douglas Gresham (Lewis's stepson) and fellow "inklings"
Owen Barfield and George Sayer. Unfortunately, a special arrangement with the
Lewis estate limits Key to single-night performances primarily for non-profit
theatres, schools, and church-sponsored events. As a result, theatre critics largely
ignore his production. Experienced for a quarter century by thousands of theatre-goers,
Key's Lewis warrants more consideration... continue |
