NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH CHARLES DANCE

Shadowlands at the Novello

Charles Dance

I found myself back at the Novello theatre for New Years Eve. It had only been 6 weeks or so since I'd been there for the preview of Desperately Seeking Susan (see the report of that debacle here. The producers had taken advantage of the empty theatre by transferring and thereby extending the run of Shadowlands. This is the play about the love affair between C S Lewis and his American wife who is dying of cancer. There was a pretty maudlin film version by Dickie Attenborough with Anthony Hopkins overacting as usual as Lewis. Here Charles Dance's performance was more restrained, more sensitive, more nuanced and he thereby released the humour that exists in William Nicholson's text. A rigorously prepared performance, his every gesture was considered and he acted with subtlety and grace creating a tremendously moving portrayal of a man struggling with love and faith and the existence of physical and spiritual pain.