The impetus to revive William Nicholson’s sturdy 1989 play about the late romantic and spiritual upheaval of author CS Lewis’s life is pretty clear. It’s a perfect vehicle for the rumpled decency of Hugh Bonneville that pairs him – a la Downton – with a feisty American female. Maggie Siff, who brought some forceful gender balance to testosterone-led TV shows Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy and Billions, plays the New York poet Joy Davidman, who belatedly opens Lewis’s eyes to a life beyond God and bachelorhood; and beyond literature, witches and wardrobes.
Rachel Kavanaugh’s handsome, old-school production - originally staged at Chichester in 2019 with Bonneville but without Siff - features comfortably assured performances from the two leads and the supporting cast. But the play’s emotional impact has dulled over the years. My guest, who warned me she’d cried buckets over the 1993 film version, remained dry-eyed.
