The Great Divorce — A Marriage of the Arts and Theology
Samantha Martin, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
“The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not,” C. S. Lewis said.
Brought to Christianity in his early thirties, Lewis wrote a collection of novels that either in concept or plot, thematically related to his faith. The Great Divorce, focuses on the journey ones’ soul may take between Purgatory, Heaven and Hell.
The play adaptation by George Drance and the Magis theatre will be recreated this semester on the North Greenville stage, led by Dale Savidge and student director, senior Aidan Beasley.
The written work revolves around a nameless narrator who begins his journey in “Grey Town”, a city that resembles early industrial cities in the north of England. Everything is dingy and it is always raining, even indoors. Our narrator realizes he is dead and finds himself waiting in a line… waiting for a bus to come and take those in line to another place. Some “ghosts” waiting in the line convince others to leave the line and then refuse to allow them back in.
One character met in this line is named Ikey, a spirit keen on making a profit from the misery of others also trapped in Grey Town. The bus finally arrives, and those in line are taken to a new place; a place at the foot of the mountains, a place where everything is totally motionless. Despite now lacking physical bodies, the ghosts are still caused great pain in this place.
Suddenly, glowing spirits arrive. These spirits have solid bodies and are revealed to be people the ghosts knew in a prior life. The spirits then warn the ghosts that in order to continue the journey into the mountains, into Heaven, then they must let go of the sins from their earthly lives.
Guided through this place by his favorite author, George MacDonald, our narrator recalls the choices of some of the ghosts. Some simply turn back, while others allow the spirits to relieve them of their sins. Others simply disappear.
MacDonald explains to the narrator that he is in the Valley of the Shadow of life. For those who never leave or return to Grey Town, it is Hell. For those that choose to remain in the valley, Grey Town was only purgatory.
When discussing the content of the play with Beasley, he made it clear that the school would be addressing this before each performance.
“Lewis’s writing is not a guess at what he thinks the afterlife will be like, just a collection of general concepts that everyone can understand. There’ll be an introduction at the beginning [each performance] of the play to explain this,” Beasley said.
The root of the play focuses on a decision of faith; does one put everything into their love for God and let go of worldly desires, or do they cling to the things of this world and rip away their chances for salvation.
“Decisions — everyday decisions, sometimes small and sometimes big and the weight that they carry that we might not be aware of,” Beasley said about the main point of the play.
The North Greenville Theatre will be presenting this play on campus from September 26-28 and from October 3-5. Tickets are available from the NGU box office, online under the Purchase Tickets tab or by phone at (864)-977-7085.
