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| Sunday, March 01, 2009
Theatre > The Screwtape Letters by The Parables Company Letters Let DownWriter: Jeffrey Lim Date: Saturday, 28 February 2009 Time: 3pm matinee Cast: Dick Su as Screwtape, Erik Wayne Goh as Wormwood, Amos Cai as the Patient, Rhoda Fu as Mother, Denise Lai as Grace, Bruno Goh Luse as Mr Russell/Stranger/Ensemble, Gwendolin Mah as Toadpipe  The Screwtape Letters by Parables CompanyAdapting a literary work for the stage is no easy task, especially if the work is the Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis' epistolary tale where a senior demon (Screwtape) doles out advice to a hapless apprentice tempter (Wormwood) as it tries to tempt a human (the "Patient") into damnation. The problem, however, is that a letter read aloud is essentially a monologue and, theatrically, a mishandled monologue can be a momentum murderer. The Parables Company is to be commended for its bravery in taking on this project. If only its bravery was combined with adequate execution, falling short both in delivery and design. The Saturday matinee performance at the Jubilee Hall began, promisingly enough, with a short slide show as we meet Screwtape conducting a class with Wormwood, but thereafter, the choice was to go with traditional theatre, entrusting Lewis' text in the hands of the cast which, as it turned out, was something of a misstep. With one notable exception, the cast occasionally stalled and tripped over their lines. Curious and uncomfortable silences peppered some scenes where one suspects that either a cue or line was missed. Whilst Dick Su's Screwtape is competent, you do wonder whether such a pivotal role ought to have been entrusted to Bruno Goh Luse whose fluent and modulated delivery would have better served what essentially is the narrative voice of the play. Amos Cai was diligent as the Patient but his scenes with Rhoda Fu (the mother) and Denise Lai (Grace), were sporadically awkward and affected. Erik Wayne Goh's Wormwood was utterly marginalised as though the directors dared not risk any emotional connection with or reaction to the character. Further, by electing (or perhaps being constrained) to stay within the historical and cultural context of the original work, the writer, producer and director had also assumed the task of conveying the moral complexities that faced Lewis' generation, such as the moral ambiguities in the seductively pacifist argument of pre-World War II appeasement or the now-historical social norms of the day. The decision to stay within the historical milieu of Lewis' work is not in itself problematic but, where the performances are lacking, the further paucity /minimalism of set design and costuming efforts did not help bring us visually into the day and time. Ironically, whilst the Parables Company is to be congratulated for bravely taking up this work in the context of our modern secular and almost anti-Christian arts climate, I found myself wishing that they had taken an even bolder move artistically and made an attempt to both modernise, and localise the experience of the Screwtape letters for our latter day Singapore audience. Indeed, it was fascinating to see how the problems and dilemma confronting Lewis' protagonist remain with us today: the desire to march to the drum of the world, the beguiling pleasures of a live-for-the-moment ethic, the fear of doing the right thing and the challenges of persisting in your faith when confronted with an easier way, your own failures and the failures of your fellows. Lewis' reasoned fiction remains a fruitful source of Christian apologetics today. Artistically though, the emphasis should perhaps have been more about "adaptation" than "recitation". It may be that the option to go with a more heavily adapted version of Lewis' work was not open to them for legal reasons. Either way, the performance seemed to have less faith in the ability of Lewis' work to transcend its dated historical context. This is somewhat of shame since Lewis' message is as timeless as the man whose message to us was first recorded in the epistles and letters of His Apostles. In balance, I think it would be useful to watch the space that the Parables Company has created and to see whether, over time, their artistic ambition and execution will eventually match their moral resolve. In this we certainly applaud them for their decision to keep alive the works of such an important writer, and look forward to their own improvements as artists. Click here to view The Parables Company's homepage.
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