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Anthony Lawton in 2009's Performance of the Screwtape Letters

Just hearing Anthony Lawton recite a selection of the correspondences that make up C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters would make for a plenty interesting night. His delivery and presence only enhance Lewis’ already thought-provoking musings on the nature of man, the merits of Heaven and Hell, and a bunch of other themes that sound way too heavy to be this entertaining. But as Lawton throws in a healthy shake of fire swallowing and tap dancing, the resulting production is as theatrical as it is provocative.

The Lantern Theater Company’s production of The Screwtape Letters all takes place in the office of one of Hell’s middle managers, Screwtape (played by Anthony Lawton, who also adapted Lewis’ work for the stage). But this is no Office Space-inspired bureau — shredded red drapes cover the walls, which also hold paintings of war scenes and one choice political portrait, evoking the pristine horror of Twin Peaks’ Red Room. The play’s driven by Screwtape’s letters of guidance to Wormwood, one of his never-to-be-seen “employees” on Earth, who’s working to corrupt a human soul away from God (who Screwtape calls “the enemy”) and toward a life that would lead him to Hell, where his soul could be consumed by Screwtape and his fellow demons, presumably at the next company picnic.

And it’s in this contaminated advice that Lewis’ creative and fascinating takes on humanity really propel the show. War is not inherently evil, Screwtape warns Wormwood, because for every selfish deed or evil man it creates , it also generates an act of heroism and a man committed to a cause larger than himself. Love and monogamy get an equally interesting perspective: “Marriage, though the enemy’s invention, has its uses,” Screwtape muses.

And in between each of these letters back and forth, Lawton and his sexy, demonic administrative assistant Toadpipe (Kim Carson) engage in short interludes that run the gamut of on-stage antics, from the aforementioned tap dancing to the creepiest Mr. Rogers impression. The breaks are a welcome change — if as much for Lawton as for the audience. Outside of the high-energy intermissions, the play is basically an hour-and-a-half long monologue — Lawton says a lot of words. But the interludes are just as ambitious as the mammoth readings. And as the set gets messier and messier after each interlude with discarded champagne glasses, cigarette butts, costume pieces and shredded letters, the stage takes on a disheveled feel that fits with the presumed mayhem Wormwood is causing in the life of his “patient” on Earth above.

There’s plenty to take away from this show and stew on in the days — or eternities — after you see it. Sure, you could just read Lewis’ novel and get most of the moral questions and ambiguities the show raises. But the Lantern’s production of The Screwtape Letters is simply more fun. But it’s only running though June 6th — best to let temptation get the best of you sooner rather than later.

The Screwtape Letters
May 19 – June 6, 2010
$25-$35 ($10 student rush tickets)

Lantern Theater Company @ St. Stephen’s Theater
10th & Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 829-0395
www.lanterntheater.org