The Screwtape Letters July 21, 2011

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the provocative and wickedly funny theatrical adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view, will be presented in a limited engagement at Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, adjacent to University of California Irvine, from July 21 through July 24. The production returns to Southern California after selling out in Los Angeles and San Diego earlier this year.
The Orange County engagement is part of the 2011 national tour that kicked off after THE SCREWTAPE LETTER’S hit nine month run at the Westside Theatre in New York where it played 309 performances! Prior to that, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS was a sold out hit in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D. C.

Now in its seventh month, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS’ 2011 National Tour has played to capacity audiences in numerous cities throughout the country including Seattle, Colorado Springs and Dallas.

Associated Press calls the production “Devilishly funny!” The Chicago Sun-Times hails THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS as “Smart, sizzling entertainment!” and Christianity Today describes it as “A profound experience!”

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS creates a topsy turvy morally inverted universe set in an eerily stylish office in hell, where God is called the “Enemy” and the devil is referred to as “Our Father below.”

The play follows His Abysmal Sublimity Screwtape, Satan’s top psychiatrist, played by award winning actor Max McLean, and his creature-demon secretary Toadpipe, as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on the fine art of seducing an unsuspecting human “patient” down the “soft, gentle path to hell.”

Along with The Chronicles of Narnia (including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe), The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is still one of Lewis’ most popular and influential works. The book's piercing insight into human nature and the lucid and humorous way Lewis makes his readers squirm in self recognition made it an immediate success. When first published in 1942 it brought worldwide fame to this little-known Oxford don including the cover of Time Magazine.

Lewis dedicated it to his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien who had expressed to Lewis that delving too deeply into the craft of evil would have consequences. Lewis admitted as much when he wrote “Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment . . . though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The work into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded.”

Produced by New York City based Fellowship for the Performing Arts. Max McLean serves as Artistic Director. Executive Producer and General Manager is Ken Denison of Aruba Productions. Scenic Design is by Cameron Anderson, Costumes by Michael Bevins, Lighting Design by Jesse Klug, and Original Music and Sound Design by John Gromada.

The performance schedule for THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is Thursday, July 21 at 8 p.m.; Friday, July 22 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 23 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 24 at 3 p.m.
Tickets range from $29 - $59. There are a limited number of premium seats available for $89. For groups of 10 or more (including student groups) call 866.476.8707.
To purchase tickets, visit www.TheBarclay.org, call the box office at 949.854.4646, Ext.1 or go to Irvine Barclay Theatre Box Office, 4242 Campus Drive in Irvine, CA. For more information, visit www.ScrewtapeonStage.com.