"THE SILVER CHAIR" BY C.S. Lewis, starring Seán Judge
By Chris Jones
Source: Chicago TribuneFAMILIES GET `SILVER' LINING
October 10, 2000
The Lifeline Theatre's dramatic adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Silver Chair" is a special show. It represents one of those rare but happy theatrical occasions when a wonderful piece of literature is married with a production that's highly imaginative, intensely thoughtful and rooted in timeless truths.
If there's a better family-oriented production being offered this autumn than this terrific humans-and-puppets piece, this reviewer has not seen it.
In a world crazed with Harry Potter, it's easy to overlook the "Narnia" series. But even though "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and the six other fantastical books were written in the 1950s, they are more progressive than many people realize.
In "The Silver Chair," for example, two bullied schoolchildren are called to Narnia by the great lion Aslan. In a series of adventures in the underworld, they kill assorted mystical creatures and ultimately help the kidnapped Prince Rilian find his way home.
Especially as played at Lifeline by the splendid and spunky Elise Kauzlaric, heroine Jill Pole is almost a prototypical version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although by making Jill prepubescent, Lewis avoided some tricky issues). Still, the empowerment of girls was not promoted on every bookshelf during the 1950s.
Yet unlike so many other writers of fantasy-based literature, Lewis never shirked from asserting a moral point of view. It's no stretch to see "The Silver Chair" as a Christian allegory, although Lewis was far too complex and nuanced a writer to ever lapse into dogma or propaganda.
Most importantly, the piece suggests the importance of unselfish deeds and leaves young viewers with the comforting sense of a benevolent power. Lewis was one of the few literary figures who created children's works that appealed to liberals and conservatives alike.
Listening to these time-traveling kids yearn for warm baths, soft beds and welcoming hearths is enough to make the most cynical adult yearn for simpler, childhood times. For that and other reasons, James R. Grote's excellent adaptation differs from most fantasy-driven theater in that it also delivers a big emotional punch.
Director Kevin Theis has provided a succession of clever visual tricks, puppets and flashy fight scenes. Older children will be thrilled by this fast-paced stuff.
But the deeper pleasures here come from the integrity of the storytelling and the truth of the acting. (Mark Richard is very funny and emotionally complex as sidekick Puddleglum, and Seán Judge was beautifully cast as both Rilian and Aslan).
On the afternoon of this review, children and adults in the audience were enthralled.
"The Silver Chair"
Where: Lifeline Theatre,
6912 N. Glenwood Ave.
When: Through Dec. 10
Call: 773-761-4477