Review: C.S. LEWIS THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS at Fellowship For Performing Arts

The Fellowship for Performing Arts has given us the opportunity to see C.S. Lewis’ iconic The Screwtape Letters come to life in their staged production of the tale for one day only. Hosted by Capital One Hall, we were transported into the hellish environment in which our lead antagonist, Screwtape, played by Brent Harris, sends letters back and forth to his demon apprentice, Wormwood, in hopes to wreak havoc on an unfortunate soul on Earth.

An interesting story only told through Screwtape and his sidekick, Toadpipe, played by Tamala Bakkensen, where we see the struggle of a veteran demon seem to meet his match with “The Enemy” otherwise known as God through the life of the client on Earth. This production was impressively pieced together. From the acting, set design, costume design, and technical aspects, it’s as if we were transported to Hell for the evening and left questioning various themes of life.

Harris gives a devilishly impressive performance embodying Screwtape and his wild antics throughout the show. We see him break down a once proud and confident character into an almost skeptical shell of what he used to be. The way Harris went about this character was extremely captivating and thrilling to watch. We witnessed the moments when Screwtape began to “crack” as his apprentice’s client continued to hurdle the obstacles they tried to throw at him. The critical study of this perplexing character by Harris was apparent. Each movement, maniacal laugh, and breakdown was clearly expertly pieced together by this very talented actor. Bringing a character to life for the first time can be a challenge, but Brent Harris proved that he was the right man for the job.

Alongside Harris, was the spectacular talent of Bakkensen, who played an integral character in this revitalization of the story. Toadpipe is a devil who is also Screwtape’s secretary. But in this production, Bakkensen does not make Toadpipe a simple secretary. This amusing character brings comic relief to the rather dark story, and helps personify the hesitation implied when regarding some of Screwtape’s interesting suggestions to Wormwood. Bakkensen brought this show to life through her animal-like movements and vocalizations, while also helping to create a visualization of some of Screwtape’s ideas. Her performance certainly brought this incredible production to another level.

Each aspect utilized to put this story together was clearly meticulously thought out and was very successful. The entire production should be very proud of this show and I should hope to see that it eventually sticks around for a while. A two-person show can be difficult to put together, but the combination of the actors on stage, and everyone off stage, this performance went off without a hitch. For more information on the Fellowship for Performing Arts, click here.

Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

"This production is recommended for ages 13 and older, and children under age 4 are not admitted."

C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters was a one-day only performance on Saturday, September 16th at Capital One Hall, located at 7750 Capital One Tower Rd, Tysons, VA 22102.

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