When David Perkovich ran the now-defunct Interplay Theatre in the early 1990s, he specialized in carefully crafted productions of erudite British dramas that placed their emphasis on the spoken word. At Interplay, Perkovich directed and starred in “Shadowlands,” William Nicholson’s moving depiction of the relationship between C.S. Lewis, a bookish but sensitive Oxford don, and Joy Gresham, the American who stole the scholar’s heart.
This talented (and now underexploited) fellow currently plies his trade most frequently at the south suburban Illinois Theatre Center. And Perkovich has returned to “Shadowlands,” again serving as director and playing the lead role of Lewis. Based on their understandably rapt attention to a superb production on opening weekend, lucky ITC audiences are happy to be a part of this reprise.
Maybe it’s because he has exploited the benefits of returning to a favorite script after the passage of six years, but Perkovich has crafted an exceptionally resonant show this time around. The staging is simple but highly effective; the casting has great depth; and the whole show has a sensitivity and maturity that perfectly evokes the spirit of the material.
“Shadowlands” is a very tightly woven play written by a master of the biographical drama. It helps, of course, that the central character is such an interesting and sympathetic figure. Aside from his fantastical children’s tales about the magical land of Narnia (for which he is best known in this country), such profound Lewis tomes as “Mere Christianity” have been a frequent comfort to several generations of intellectually sophisticated Christians. Perhaps more than any other author, Lewis movingly articulated the difficulty of reconciling faith in a loving God with the pain and suffering that he appears to allow to strike at random.
It’s this theological dilemma that gives “Shadowlands” its thematic weight, although Nicholson also deals the romantic card and exploits the usual British-American cultural differences in showing how Gresham blew the cobwebs from Lewis’ heart.
With a haltering, gentle persona and a very credible fussiness, Perkovich is the consumate Lewis. Franette Liebow has been consistently excellent at a couple of our smaller theaters this year, and she here makes an exceptionally intelligent and compelling Gresham. There are also terrific performances in smaller roles from Leo Harmon (his best work in ages), Gary Rayppy and Lawrence Garner.
Despite the usual difficulties of casting a show that requires so many mature actors, this production of “Shadowlands” would compare favorably with what one would find at any large regional theater. Well worth a long drive to see, it’s a real credit to both Perkovich and Etel Billig’s Illinois Theatre Center.
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“Shadowlands”
When: Through March 28
Where: Illinois Theatre Center, 400A Lakewood Blvd., Park Forest
Phone: 708-481-3510
