CheekyChicago

I’ve been a fan of C.S. Lewis my whole life. From The Chronicles of Narnia to Mere Christianity, I’ve been enlightened and entertained. But I have to admit, when I found out Lewis’ famous 1942 novel The Screwtape Letters had been adapted into a play, I was a bit baffled as to how this would translate into an entertaining night of theatre. But after finding huge success in both Washington D.C. and New York, The Screwtape Letters has now found a home at Chicago’s fabulous Mercury Theater, and tickets are selling like hotcakes.

Adapted by Jeffrey Friske and Max McLean, this 90-minute journey into the underworld was quite an experience; Max Mclean’s incredible portrayal of the devilishly charming demon, Screwtape, was remarkable. What I thought was going to be an hour and a half of mostly boring letter dictation from Screwtape to his nephew turned out to be quite an enchanting and provocative performance. There were a few moments where I found myself zoning out, though, so I would highly discourage having a few drinks before the show or you might find yourself asleep against your neighbor (like the lady in front of me).

Helping keep things on the lighter and more humorous side was Screwtape’s pet, Toadpipe, played by Yvonne Gougelet. Here is where I had some trouble with the show, as I ended up spending way too much time trying to figure out this character. Was it a…winged… monkey-cat? A mythical creature? It only communicates via gremlin noises, yet it can understand English and write with magic pen hands??? I’m not questioning Gougelet’s fine acting skills,(especially during the parts when she’d transform into characters from the letters), but the pet was just a bit on the weird side and the clawing at the paper throughout the entire show as she wrote the letters was way too distracting.

On the tech side of things, I was literally blown away. Bart Fasbender’s sound design was absolutely flawless, as was Tyler Micoleau’s lighting. The costumes by Michael Bevin were quite stunning, and Cameron Anderson’s brilliant and creative set really, really wowed me. I couldn’t mention one without the other because it was the four aspects working so beautifully together that really brought this world to life.

The Screwtape Letters has been extended by popular demand and continues to pack in the masses. Though I don’t think it’s everybody’s cup of tea, I do think it’s definitely a show worth checking out.