Shadowlands by The Halliwell Theatre Company at Halliwell Methodist Church, Harvery Street
By Andrew Greaves of ‘The Bolton News’
Tackling the biopic of any man or woman is not the easiest of tasks for the most professional of theatre companies.
So it was with great interest that I took my seat alongside a small - but healthy - audience at Halliwell Methodist Church to watch the Halliwell Theatre Company tackle the life story of C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and an extremely complex individual.
But I am pleased to say that the very talented Halliwell thespians pulled it off with aplomb.
In the lead role, Neil McMahon was superb as Lewis - Jack to his friends - and managed to portray the right amount of sadness throughout without ever letting the play descend into anything too dark.
His relationship with American poet Joy Davidman, expertly portrayed by Joyce Smith who along with Dominic Latham as her son Douglas had the American accents nailed perfectly, was a joy to watch as it blossomed from pen pals to a marriage of convenience and finally to love before her tragic early death.
When McMahon and Smith are on stage together, you are left in no doubt of their character's feelings for each other and both deliver fairly word-heavy lines with clarity and they are a credit to the company.
The supporting cast, especially Fred Mayers as Jack's brother Warnie, more than deserved their enthusiastic ovation at the end, bringing the lighter moments of the play to life with effortless ease.
A word to for the stage designers who created the kind of home for Lewis that I imagine isn't far from the writer's actual abode.
The wardrobe door that opens to show a magical garden two or three times during the duration of the play is a nice touch and a nod toward's Lewis' much-loved works.
Even if, like me, you are not a massive fan of his work, C. S. Lewis is certainly an interesting subject.
In the wrong hands, Shadowlands could have been grim and without hope. But at the hands of director Stephen Maslivec and his cast, its equal parts funny, warm and tragic and well worth watching.
Until Saturday. Tickets, at £5, are available from 01204 597055 or halliwelltc@btinternet.com