Shadowlands

A highly anticipated West End transfer of Shadowlands has finally opened in London, and it was well worth the wait. This is a wonderful play with a lot of emotional charge — the story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman, and it really does stay with you.

Shadowlands isn't a new story. It was first written by William Nicholson in 1985 for television and then adapted for stage in 1989. The production we're seeing in London right now is the Chichester Festival production that was on in 2019, and we do get to see Hugh Bonneville, who was C. S. Lewis in that production, now alongside Maggie Siff, who you might know from Mad Men and Billions, playing the role of Joy Davidman.

The story focuses on the period in C. S. Lewis's life when he was writing letters back and forth with Joy just before she arrived in England for the two of them to meet up. Ever since, they started having a wonderful friendship, but Joy always wanted more than that. Whereas Lewis was always a little bit distant from that whole idea — he was a man of faith, and in his eyes you can only marry once, and she was already married. As the story progresses we find out that she eventually got divorced, and this is not something that he was initially comfortable with. He was very much keeping his emotions close to his chest, and we see the evolution of his character and how this changes when he finds out that Joy is dying of cancer. That storyline really captures how much Joy brought both joy and pain into his life.

The first thing I really enjoyed about the show is the writing. It is very precise and clever, and it really made me feel like I wanted to have the text of the play in front of me, because there are so many deep and meaningful sentences that I just wanted to reread. The story opens with Lewis giving a speech about love and grief and God and faith, which he addresses with a lot of authority and conviction. And there is a part of that speech that he keeps repeating throughout the show, as his understanding of what he's talking about changes. Hugh Bonneville does a really great job of navigating that section of text, delivering a slightly different tone every single time, so you understand how different the meaning is each time you hear it.

The writing is where so many of the profound elements are. It is witty and intelligent, and it captures a lot of thought-provoking feelings — the kinds of things we face as humans as we go through life trying to make sense of love, loss, grief, faith, humanity. It is definitely a show that takes you down the route of rethinking things you know about yourself, or maybe some core beliefs that might no longer hold true. I also particularly enjoyed the references to Lewis's work throughout — how the world he created in his novels matches up against the world he actually lived in. He was living a very modest and plain life compared to the amazing internal world he managed to build and share with people, especially children. Throughout the whole play those references are really skillfully woven into the text and subtext. The most prominent is The Magician's Nephew, which has a very central focal point in the story, at one point even recreating a scene from the book within the play itself.

Bonneville delivers the character of C. S. Lewis with so many beautiful nuances and such emotional depth — you feel you are getting to know him as he was when he wasn't creating the magical world we all know him for.

Hugh Bonneville — who I love from Downton Abbey and Paddington — was actually the main draw for me to book this show, and he does not disappoint. He delivers the character of Lewis, or Jack as his friends called him, with so many beautiful nuances and such emotional depth. You connect with this author with real clarity and understanding of who he was when he wasn't creating that magical world. We meet Lewis as someone who is very sure of himself and his beliefs and his philosophy, ready to stand in front of people and hold court, surrounded by his friends, at the centre of attention. As the play progresses, you understand how much Joy impacted his life and how devastating the outcome of that relationship was in terms of losing her. Hugh navigates those ups and downs with so much clarity — a very grounded character, but then also very sad and confused at times. That contrast, from the way we see him at the beginning to the way we see him when the play ends, was incredible to witness.

Speaking of Maggie Siff, she is making her West End debut in this role and she is fantastic. She is definitely a spark of joy on this stage. The show is predominantly full of men talking about philosophy and life and saying rather offensive things about how men are led by intellect and women by emotions, and she really comes in as a character to prove them all wrong — challenging them, but not for a debate, all in a very charming American way that just diffuses the stern looks everyone around her gives her. Maggie communicates Joy's love of life, and her love for Lewis, so well that it was always a pleasure watching the two of them on stage together. She was always the one bringing humour to a scene, but then there were also some really powerful moments where you feel the depth of her character — and how, in some cases, when Lewis wasn't ready to face what was inevitable, she was the stronger one, and helped them both face certain things.

I also really enjoyed Jeff Rawle, who delivered the role of Major Lewis — C. S. Lewis's brother — as well as Timothy Watson, who delivered the role of Professor Christopher Riley. These were some of the most humorous elements of the show, and I just thought they were amazing comic relief. In the case of Major Lewis especially, there were some really tender and beautiful moments of him changing his opinion about Joy and growing genuinely fond of her, and of the three of them living together, which was really lovely to see.

The third thing that really impressed me — and probably the first thing I noticed when I got into the theatre — is the set. It is so beautiful and big and it resembles a wonderful library full of wooden bookcases. It is a library but it is also Lewis's home, and the way they navigated the space it really felt like we were trapped inside his literary world. The books were something that connected both characters and were so important to both of their worlds, so it makes complete sense for them to be in a set surrounded by them. In the middle of the stage there is a rotating section that moves depending on whether the action is in the house or the hospital. On the surface it seemed like there weren't too many set changes, but at the very back of the stage there was the most beautiful tree, representing Lewis's imaginary world, and every now and then we got a glimpse of it and how it infiltrated his real life. The set was so fitting and really helped ground that line between reality and the imaginary world we know this author for.

The fourth reason the show resonated with me is simply that it is about things that are so prominent in all our lives — love, loss, faith, and our relationship with these big themes. Being in an environment where these things are questioned, and where we get to witness the thoughts of one of the greatest minds and authors who ever lived, really brings a lot of value to the audience. Lewis was deeply religious and a lot of his work is rooted in his Christian faith, so hearing how he stood on these various dilemmas — and seeing how those convictions were tested — felt like you got to keep a piece of him. It is one of those shows that strikes you as an intellectual debate and allows everyone to engage with it.

People who enjoy more serious plays, or just deeper thinking within a play, are going to resonate with this the most. That said, the ensemble is fantastic, the production is really strong, and the flow of the show is impeccable — it is only two hours and twenty minutes. I would highly recommend it. The show is on at the Aldwych Theatre until 9 May, and tickets have are available from as little as £30, so if you want to go to the theatre on a budget, that is definitely worth checking out.