(Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, Orlando FL) For one night only on Friday January 11 2025, a sold-out Walt Disney Theatre at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center played host to The Screwtape Letters, a theatrical production based on the 1942 novel written by CS Lewis.
At a very high level synopsis, the show is told through the narration of 24 letters (31 letters in the original novel) written by a senior-level devil named 'Screwtape' in an effort to mentor his junior-level tempter nephew named 'Wormwood' to try and seek out an earthly being ('The Patient') to be damned to Hell.
The production itself was very interesting. For the show's duration, there were 2 actors on stage: one of which was essentially a non-verbalizing demon assistant ('Toadpipe' portrayed by Tamala Bakkensen), while Screwtape (portrayed by Brent Harris) had the daunting task of acting out and reciting a 90-minute monologue.
Bakkensen was effectively able to communicate throughout the evening by mere body language and indiscernible noises. She mimed and mimicked and moved about that stage, never uttering a single-word; yet, she and 'Screwtape' were able to play off one another.
Harris' portrayal was very impressive. The script was not an easy one, and it was a bit challenging for one to follow, particularly if you hadn't already read the book, and maybe weren't familiar with the storyline beforehand. However, for 90 minutes, you felt that there were more characters on that stage than the two we were watching: somewhere on the receiving end of the letters, there was a 'Wormwood' and we were all watching the morale temptations and evolution of this character known as 'The Patient'. Additionally, there was the omnipresent character called 'The Enemy', which represented God. But again, there were only 2 actors who were creating this depth for us.
For 90 minutes, there was only 1 scene: we were all somewhere in a dark office within Hell. Yet, somehow that stage conveyed the presence of 'Hell', 'Heaven', and Earth. Again, another kudos to the actors for this trascendence.
Upon the show's conclusion, attendees were encouraged to remain in the theatre and take part in the post-show discussion in which multiple audience members took turns asking the show's theatrical director general questions about the uniqueness of the stage (a stage which was built at a 30-degree incline just hours before the show's soundcheck earlier that afternoon), and other tour-related and production-related questions.
Within the Playbill itself and even attached to the tickets I had been emailed, there were links to access a 'discussion guide', which was a collection of thought-provoking observations broken out by each of Screwtape's letters, written with the intent of maximizing the reader's / show attendee's overall experience. It would be helpful for future attendees to take a quick read of this prior to watching the show.
Overall, the experience was ok for me. I walked into the show without any knowledge of what I was walking into. Having done some research beforehand, I could have read up and familiarized myself with the letters, and could have taken in the performance a bit more casually. As I was not familiar, I had difficulty making out some of the dialogue (monologue). However, my experience appeared to be in the minority, as there seemed to be collective audience laughter and other crowd mass reactions throughout the evening, and the show's conclusion was met with a very prompt standing ovation from all levels of the Dr. Phillips theatre which genuinely appeared very satisfied with the performance.
There are a few different remaining Florida performances left in this particular tour. Have fun!
Bailey Guinigundo
At a very high level synopsis, the show is told through the narration of 24 letters (31 letters in the original novel) written by a senior-level devil named 'Screwtape' in an effort to mentor his junior-level tempter nephew named 'Wormwood' to try and seek out an earthly being ('The Patient') to be damned to Hell.
The production itself was very interesting. For the show's duration, there were 2 actors on stage: one of which was essentially a non-verbalizing demon assistant ('Toadpipe' portrayed by Tamala Bakkensen), while Screwtape (portrayed by Brent Harris) had the daunting task of acting out and reciting a 90-minute monologue.
Bakkensen was effectively able to communicate throughout the evening by mere body language and indiscernible noises. She mimed and mimicked and moved about that stage, never uttering a single-word; yet, she and 'Screwtape' were able to play off one another.
Harris' portrayal was very impressive. The script was not an easy one, and it was a bit challenging for one to follow, particularly if you hadn't already read the book, and maybe weren't familiar with the storyline beforehand. However, for 90 minutes, you felt that there were more characters on that stage than the two we were watching: somewhere on the receiving end of the letters, there was a 'Wormwood' and we were all watching the morale temptations and evolution of this character known as 'The Patient'. Additionally, there was the omnipresent character called 'The Enemy', which represented God. But again, there were only 2 actors who were creating this depth for us.
For 90 minutes, there was only 1 scene: we were all somewhere in a dark office within Hell. Yet, somehow that stage conveyed the presence of 'Hell', 'Heaven', and Earth. Again, another kudos to the actors for this trascendence.
Upon the show's conclusion, attendees were encouraged to remain in the theatre and take part in the post-show discussion in which multiple audience members took turns asking the show's theatrical director general questions about the uniqueness of the stage (a stage which was built at a 30-degree incline just hours before the show's soundcheck earlier that afternoon), and other tour-related and production-related questions.
Within the Playbill itself and even attached to the tickets I had been emailed, there were links to access a 'discussion guide', which was a collection of thought-provoking observations broken out by each of Screwtape's letters, written with the intent of maximizing the reader's / show attendee's overall experience. It would be helpful for future attendees to take a quick read of this prior to watching the show.
Overall, the experience was ok for me. I walked into the show without any knowledge of what I was walking into. Having done some research beforehand, I could have read up and familiarized myself with the letters, and could have taken in the performance a bit more casually. As I was not familiar, I had difficulty making out some of the dialogue (monologue). However, my experience appeared to be in the minority, as there seemed to be collective audience laughter and other crowd mass reactions throughout the evening, and the show's conclusion was met with a very prompt standing ovation from all levels of the Dr. Phillips theatre which genuinely appeared very satisfied with the performance.
There are a few different remaining Florida performances left in this particular tour. Have fun!
Bailey Guinigundo