“It can be calming to sit for a while with a sturdily crafted, nicely cast play that was mild even when it was new...The plot is wholly unsurprising...This iteration doesn’t always trust the pauses in the script...But Mr Gerroll and Ms. Abramson are appealing comic actors, smartly restrained and surrounded by a strong company...In its old-fashioned-ness, ‘Shadowlands’ is hardly a breath of fresh air. But it is a breath of different air, less charged than our own.”
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"An incisive piece of writing. And as a mouthpiece for these metaphysical musings, it doesn't get much better than Daniel Gerroll, who stars as C.S. Lewis...Gerroll is infinitely truthful in his manner of blending intellectual confidence with emotional uncertainty, the conflict at the heart of 'Shadowlands'...Gerroll and Abramson are charming stage partners, and it's a delight to see their characters' friendship turn to love."
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"There are a few awkward touches in Christa Scott-Reed's production but she has elicited fluent performances from her two leads, who easily convince us that these two polar opposites could be soul mates...A solidly constructed piece of work that builds to a heartbreaking climax. Even those who aren't particularly sympathetic to Lewis' ideas can be moved by the painful lesson that he learns."
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"A sincere enough revival...Although I enjoyed seeing the contrast in personality that Abramson brings to Davidman's slightly abrasive facade, it is really hard to imagine what sparks could have been ignited between Jack and Joy. Certainly in real-life it must have...Director Christa Scott-Reed does what can be done to keep the protracted predictabilities at bay."
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“William Nicholson's ‘Shadowlands’ is one of those subtle plays that grows on you as it evolves and weaves its own spell. Based on a true story of one the most improbable love stories of the 20th century, it covers a range of human emotions that should catch you in its web. Under Christa Scott-Reed's assured and astute direction, Daniel Gerroll gives a memorable performance as theologian and writer C.S. Lewis. A play of ideas on the meaning and varieties of faith, it is challenging.”
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“A tender love story beautifully told by Scott-Reed and the ensemble. Kelly James Tighe’s set of sliding walls that divide the stage into entirely different rooms is effective and practical; and Michael Bevins period costumes are lovely. Whether or not one is invested in Lewis’s life story or the theological questions encountered, it’s a captivating, well-told and heartbreaking love story that will transport you, momentarily, into another world.”
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"As C.S. Lewis, Daniel Gerroll is outstanding...He keeps the material alive despite the fact that the wordy, overlong play makes the same point repeatedly in slightly varied reiterations that threaten to become tedious...Gerroll has endowed his character with the spark hidden vitality, and guides us through the verbiage as if he were, indeed, a professor himself...It is beautiful to watch Lewis open the door to his soul, revealing the wonders that lie beyond."
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“The historically balanced drama marches forward, sometimes a bit too slowly and properly, but all with very good taste indeed. The cast all do a fantastic stiff-upper-lipped job...A heart warming play about the bravery of stepping into the arena of Love. Knowing full well that pain and suffering comes on the backside...Jack dives in to the pool of Love and Pain, gracefully and quite properly, like any good solid Brit would do. And we applaud that brave step forward.”
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