The Screwtape Letters May 21, 2011

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, the provocative and wickedly funny theatrical adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view, will be presented in a limited engagement in Cincinnati and Columbus this spring. The production will be at the Procter and Gamble Hall at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut Street, in Cincinnati on Saturday, April 9th at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Columbus’ Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad Street, on Saturday, May 21st at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The Cincinnati and Columbus engagements follow its hit nine month run at the Westside Theatre in New York where THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS played 309 performances! Prior to that, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS was a sold out hit in Chicago and Washington D. C.

Associated Press calls the production “Devilishly funny!” The Chicago Sun-Times hails THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS as “Smart, sizzling entertainment!” and National Review describes it is “Pure genius!”

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS runs 90 minutes without intermission. In this topsy turvy morally inverted universe set in an eerily stylish office in hell, God is called the “Enemy” and the devil is referred to as “Our Father below.”

The play follows His Abysmal Sublimity Screwtape, Satan’s top psychiatrist, played by award winning actor Max McLean, and his creature-demon secretary Toadpipe, as they train an apprentice demon, Wormwood, on the fine art of seducing an unsuspecting human “patient” down the “soft, gentle path to hell.”

Along with The Chronicles of Narnia (including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe), The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity, THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS is still one of Lewis’ most popular and influential works. The book's piercing insight into human nature and the lucid and humorous way Lewis makes his readers squirm in self recognition made it an immediate success. When first published in 1942 it brought worldwide fame to this little-known Oxford don including the cover of Time Magazine.

Lewis dedicated it to his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien who had expressed to Lewis that delving too deeply into the craft of evil would have consequences. Lewis admitted as much when he wrote “Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment . . . though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The work into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded.”

Produced by New York City based Fellowship for the Performing Arts. Max McLean serves as Artistic Director. Executive Producer and General Manager is Ken Denison of Aruba Productions. Scenic Design is by Cameron Anderson, Costumes by Michael Bevins, Lighting Design by Jesse Klug, and Original Music and Sound Design by John Gromada.

Tickets range from $38 - $59. For special group rates of 10 or more call 866.476.8707. A limited number of premium seats are available for $89. Student tickets are $25 each and subject to availability. Valid ID must be presented at the box office.

To purchase tickets to the Cincinnati engagement on Saturday, April 9th at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., visit the Aronoff Center for the Arts ticket office at 650 Walnut Street, visit www.cincinnatiarts.org, or call (513) 621-ARTS [2787].

For tickets to the Columbus engagement on Saturday, May 21st at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., visit the CAPA Ticket Office at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State Street, Columbus, Ohio, visit www.Ticketmaster.com or call 614-469-0939.

Tickets are subject to venue service charges and facility fees. For more information, visit www.ScrewtapeonStage.com.

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Official Website: http://www.screwtapeonstage.com