Plays: Shadowlands (England, 1989)


Figure 1.--Here Arthur J. Beer playing C.S. Lewis and Adam Carpenter playing one of Joy Gersham's boys appear in a local theater (Meadow Brook Theater) production of 'Shadowlands'. Asman's short pants Blazer outfit is meant to follo the coomon dress in Enhland in the 1950s. It has, however, an American look.

Shadowlands is a bittersweet love story set in the 1950s about the relationship between a middle-age Oxford academic C. S. Lewis who had long since given up on marraige and a young American poet Joy Davidman. Hr last name is changed in the play. Seredipitously, Lewis publishged the charming autobiographical book about his childhood Surprised by Joy. Here Joy had an poetic inspiration and not Joy Davidman. The play deals with their develooing relationship, marriage, and Joy's tragic death from cancer. This challenged Lewis' Christian faith. 'Shadowlands has a very modern history. It did not begin with a play or book, but was a 1985 television production and 1989 stage adaptation. Brian Sibley and Norman Stone wrote the screenpaly of the original television program wasunitially been called 'I Call it Joy' written for Thames Television. Sibley later wrote a book, Shadowlands: The True Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman. Lewis was a reserved, middle-aged bachelor leading a quiet academic life, although his classic children's books, the Narnia series had become a publishing sensation. He began corresponding with Joy about literature. Lewis taught medieval and Renaissance literature which of course emerges in the Narnia books. She had a trobled marriage and two sons. They met when sge came to England. The marriage was a matter of convenience at first, byrt developed into love. They coild not have been two more different people. He was middle age, quiet and reserved. She was outgoing and vivacious, even a bit excentric. Her uninhibited behaviour raised eyebrows in the rigidly proper world of male and academic dominated Oxford not yet loosenbed by the 1960s. Each open each other to new world views. An umortant part of the play is Joy preparing Lewis for her ineviatable death. A major British film followed (1993).







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Created: 5:39 AM 8/25/2014
Last updated: 5:39 AM 8/25/2014