C. S. Lewis on Stage/Provision Theater

C.S. Lewis on stage is exactly what you get for seeing Provision Theater’s “C.S. Lewis On Stage.” Tim Gregory, artistic director of the young company, has chosen this one-man portrait of the author who brought us “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Screwtape Letters” to open Provision’s fourth season. Under Gregory’s adept direction, Bradley Armacroft extracts every ounce of nuance from Tom Key’s adaptation of passages from Lewis’ literature. Armcroft becomes the charismatic writer. Framed as a conversation with the audience in the comfort of his home study (designed with beautiful detail by John Zuiker), the play rides moments of greatness, mostly when Armacroft inhabits the pages of Lewis’ writings. Truth be told, though, a one-act might do more justice to the legacy of Lewis. Although the threads of biographical information are handy, they don’t sing like Armacroft’s oral interpretation. At an hour and a half and an intermission, the play goes a little too long.

At the Viaduct, 3111 N. Western, (773)296-6024. This production is now closed.