David Payne Returns To St. Louis In LEWIS & TOLKIEN, OF WARDROBE & RINGS At Westport Plaza

Emery Entertainment will welcome actor/playwright David Payne back to the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza stage in his new two-man production LEWIS & TOLKIEN, OF WARDROBE & RINGS for six performances June 13-16. Tickets are $50 and on sale now. Tickets may be purchased through MetroTix at www.metrotix.com or by calling 314/534-1111. Additionally, tickets will be available at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza box office one hour prior to show time. Groups of ten or more should call 314/402-2430 for special rates.

LEWIS & TOLKIEN, OF WARDROBE & RINGS is a play set in Oxford's Eagle & Child pub. Aging and legendary authors, J.R.R. Tolkien and his great friend C.S. Lewis, meet for what turns out to be the very last time. They were lions of 20th century British fantasy, giants of a literary genre that reached millions of readers, young and old alike, with mystifying adventures to entertain and deep truths to move people's hearts. C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) were also distinguished faculty members at Oxford University and participants in a literary group known as the Inklings. Their robust philosophical discourse served an uncommon friendship that was not without its differences. Life's circumstances and, sometimes, unresolved disagreements forced an uncomfortable season of estrangement. In LEWIS & TOLKIEN, OF WARDROBE & RINGS we join "Jack" and "Tollers," as they knew each other, at Oxford's historic Eagle and Child pub for one last visit, tempered by thawing humor, confession and reconciliation.

London born actor/playwright David Payne (C.S. Lewis) has been dazzling audiences across the world with his one-man drama "An Evening with C.S. Lewis" with over 700 performances spanning almost twenty years. It began in 1996 when auditions for the play "Shadowlands," based on the life of Lewis, came about with the notice, "British accents help!" Well that he had, and it won him the role of Lewis. After the show closed, Payne created a one-man production based on Lewis' novel A Grief Observed which opened to sold out audiences. This lead Payne to write a multitude of Lewis-inspired productions. Payne received rave reviews last May at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza with several sold-out performances of "An Evening with C.S. Lewis."

Gregory Welsch (J.R.R. Tolkien) is an accomplished actor with extensive experience in both film and theater. He has appeared on CMT's "Still the King" and on the big screen along with Clifton Collins, Jr. and Jonathon Schaech in "Little Chenier," and Tim Meadows in "Chasing Ghosts." Gregory won a First Night Theater Award as Supporting Actor for his portrayal of 12 different characters in "The Life and Times of Lenny Bruce" and was also nominated for his performance as Mitch in "Streetcar Named Desire."

Playhouse @ Westport Plaza is located at 635 Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri and is a venue filling a niche for a variety of Broadway and Off-Broadway entertainment that would otherwise not find its way to the St. Louis area. Programming at the venue is offered at affordable ticket pricing so that anyone can have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area as well as see a great show.

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