NOTE TOC.S. LEWIS FANS: OUR COLUMNIST USES SCREWTAPE & WORMWOOD TO DISCUSS THE DAN BROWN NOVEL ANGELS AND DEMONS IN THIS MONTHS SCOOPS > CHECK IT OUT ON PAGE 14 OF THIS MONTH’S SCOOPS.
‘The Screwtape Letters’ Stars Andy Serkis from ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Colorado Springs, CO – The Devil is back in time for Halloween in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, an audio production from Peabody-award-winning Focus on the Family Radio Theatre®. The full-cast dramatization of the diabolical classic debuted worldwide today.
Hosted by C.S. Lewis’ stepson, Douglas Gresham, and starring Andy Serkis (Gollum, The Lord of the Rings) as the voice of Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters was recorded in London by world-class actors with an original score and motion picture quality sound design, and includes a “making of” DVD that features footage from C.S. Lewis’ home, church and other frequented locations. Also included are a bonus CD of 10 original songs and a collector’s booklet.
The Screwtape story centers around correspondence shared between Screwtape, a senior demon, and Wormwood, his apprentice, as Screwtape mentors Wormwood in the skills necessary to entrap, dominate and torture humans. Most of the 31 letters lead into dramatic scenes set either in hell or World War II-era London. In writing this masterpiece, Lewis re-imagined hell as a gruesome bureaucracy with demons laboring in a vast enterprise. Avoiding their own painful torment, as well as a desire for control, is what drives demons to persecute their “patients.”
Anticipation for the release of Screwtape has been building among audio enthusiasts as well as Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis fans. An entire Web site (www.screwtape.com) was built to support the production’s debut, providing downloadable ringtones, avatars and wallpaper. Fans can also follow conversations between Screwtape and Wormwood on Twitter.
“Bringing The Screwtape Letters to the world of audio drama has been a career dream,” said director Paul McCusker. “To work with this caliber of cast and crew on such a beloved classic is an unparalleled experience. And the themes are timeless. The struggles, fears and failures addressed in this work still plague humanity today. In our culture, we’re hesitant to talk about evil. Here, in the character of Screwtape, evil speaks for itself.”
The Screwtape Letters was produced by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre® and is distributed by Tyndale, with full authorization from the C.S. Lewis estate. For more information on The Screwtape Letters, or to schedule an interview with a member of the Radio Theatre team, contact Lisa Anderson at 719-548-5883 or lisa.anderson@fotf.org.
