Stage Review - Lewis and Tolkien (Taproot Theatre)
Stage Review - Lewis and Tolkien
Presented By: Taproot Theatre - Seattle, WA
Show Run: January 22 - March 08, 2025 (Extended)
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Run Time: 90 minutes (no intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Two authors walk into a bar….could be the beginning of a joke, or it could be something that happened frequently on the outskirts of Oxford University anytime after 1926 and through the next few decades or so. You see, 1926 is the year when J.R.R Tolkien met C.S. Lewis at a Merton College faculty meeting. Upon meeting “Tollers” as Lewis came to call the Lord of the Rings author and linguist, he was quoted as saying there was “no harm in him, only needs a little smack or so”. The two, “Tollers” and “Jack”, C.S. Lewis’ nickname, soon realized they had a lot in common, not just that they were both prospective authors, but they both had lived through some shared experiences, including World War I and the death of their parents, incidents that surely informed both of their works. Their friendship led to the creation of the Oxford literary group The Inklings, who often met at The Eagle and the Child Pub (commonly known by the group as “The Bird and the Baby”), and ultimately to the success of each of their famous literary series, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga and Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, but over time their friendship faded, seemingly for no significant reason, they sort of just drifted apart. In the play Lewis and Tolkien, playwright Dean Batali poses what would happen if these two longtime friends, though separated for years, had the chance to meet for one last time at “The Bird and the Baby”, what that conversation would be like, and whether they’d be able to come to terms with what had kept them from each other for so long. The play, which is a beautiful and poetically written piece about friendship, about finding that one person that you can disagree with and still come together over what is important for each other, and set to the context of two aging authors reuniting for one last time, runs on Taproot Theatre’s Isaac Studio stage through March 8 in a production directed by Karen Lund and featuring Jeff Allen Pierce and Peter Cook as literary greats J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
There is a lot I like about Dean Batali’s play, not the least of which is how, while it is a completely fictional event, the two authors didn’t actually meet up at the Eagle and Child Pub in 1963, the way that the play is constructed, it makes it seem feasible that if they did, the conversations that take place between Jeff and Peter on stage at the Isaac Studio are exactly what patrons at the pub that night would have heard. Everything that I know about these two authors, the way they speak, their histories, the key points in their relationships, both with and without each other, is captured with a great deal of accuracy. This is not to mention the way that the conversation flows between the two, how each topic is presented, not necessarily in chronological order, but in a way that doesn’t just teach the uninitiated about the authors, how their minds work and how their time spent together was mutually beneficial to each other’s craft, but also in a way that keeps the audience engaged, sometimes dropping hints in one conversation, hints that leave those in attendance guessing until the puzzle is put together in a later conversation. All this is done while using their relationship as a model for how we should hold a friendship up, one in which we’re allowed to disagree with each other, sometimes even vehemently, but at the end come together in our humanity focusing on what joins us together, as the things that join us are so much more important than what separates us.
The beauty of the authors’ friendship is highlighted both by what they have in common, but also how different they are. Both authors have a strong moral center, and while Lewis believes in the good in the individual, that good people have good things thrust upon them, Tolkien’s is more about the group, the fellowship, the people you keep in your orbit, how they are treated. Lewis’ work is more light, more hopeful, and his style of writing reflects that, as opposed to Tolkien who wears his perfectionism like a cloak, and is harder, more complex in his language, including the many new ones that he invented in his writing. Batali reflects both of these in the way the characters are written and speak in the play, and as such it helps the audience get to know each on an even deeper level. What is even more brilliant, though, is how actors Jeff Allen Pierce and Peter Cook manage these characters, masterfully as though they really are the embodiment of these authors.
Jeff as Tolkien is the first to arrive at The Eagle and Child. Met there by waitress Veronica, played by Chloe Michele, he takes time to reflect on the place he and his fellow Inklings used to meet decades prior. The design of the pub, from scenic designer Mark Lund is very nice, compressed to fit well in the intimate Isaac Studio space, with its weathered wood, standard pub wall decorations, and fireplace, making it feel like the kind of place that remains dark, damp, and cold inside, whether or not it is outside, though odds are it is at least misty if not rainy in Oxford in Autumn. Tolkien wanders a bit, reminiscing, until he is joined by his old friend, Peter’s C.S. Lewis. Each of these actors are just wonderful in these roles, the accents, speech patters, mannerisms, all in line with Batali’s design of the characters, which again is accurately reflective of the authors themselves. It’s clear that Dramaturgist Sonja Lowe, Dialect Coach Leah Fishbaugh, Jeff, and Peter have worked closely together to bring these two actors to life on the Taproot stage. While they’re both good throughout, Peter is especially good when he has the opportunity to monologue, whether it’s about religion, or when describing the emptiness that Lewis experiences after losing his wife. That latter piece especially is so well written, but even more it’s exquisitely performed, Peter’s performance of it is poetic, emotional, and poignant.
While Peter’s best work is when he is waxing on about something deeply personal, Jeff is extremely impressive when his Tolkien is challenged, especially when it seems both Lewis and Veronica are ganging up on him. It’s apparent that Veronica is familiar with Lewis’ Narnia series, but has never heard of anything to do with Hobbits, any rings, or Orcs. These are some very entertaining scenes, and it shows how Veronica sometimes steers the conversation between the two, setting the two up to help move the plot of the play along. Chloe is very good as Veronica, sometimes referee, sometimes facilitator, but always in awe of the greatness of the authors in the room with her. Her sense of wonder is played extremely well. And in these scenes, where both Veronica and “Jack” gang up on “Tollers”, eventually Lewis comes to his friend’s defense, with some well thought out words explaining what sets Tolkien apart from everyone else, but watching Jeff explain, with fervor, why he took so long to write his books, or why he felt it necessary to create new languages, or how his characters, both good and evil came to be, or why he has always despised allegory is just excellent and so entertaining.
Lewis and Tolkien, a play about an imaginary meeting between two of the great fantasy authors and good friends, after a long separation, is one of friendship, reconciliation, and hope. It’s a wonderfully crafted piece from playwright Dean Batali and presented marvelously by a cast led by two leads who embody the scribes expertly. And while the production design seems simple enough, there is a level of detail in all of its aspects, especially in the actors’ presentations that show the amount of attention Director Karen Lund and her team has put into making each audience member feel like they are in the same room with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, making this a truly captivating play.
Lewis and Tokien has been extended and runs on stage at Taproot Theatre’s Isaac Studio through March 08. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.taproottheatre.org/.
Photo credit: Robert Wade Photography
