Hell Rewired

By Matthew Fong

 

A traveling tour production of the play, Screwtape Rewired, arrived at our Cross Center this fall. The play is based on C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, in which Screwtape writes letters to his nephew Wormwood with advice on how to ensnare humans and steer them away from the path of God. The play introduces Wormwood and his modernized apprentice, Dismal. Assigned to two humans named Charlie and Christy, Dismal seems dwarfed with the task of temptation. Invited to a conference, Wormwood weaves an elaborate tale at a temptation college where the couple dies without knowing Christ, but Christy finds the papers proving that they really went to heaven and Screwtape disposes of Wormwood while Charlie and Christy go to heaven, as Wormwood and Dismal’s attempts prove futile.

This production showcases a major twist to Lewis’ classic novel. But it also posed to be a subtle challenge to its audience. The thing that inhibits readers of the Screwtape Letters as well as in this play, is that the demons tend to hint instead of explicitly saying what they believe. It further complicates things when the audience does not know the Bible because there are many Biblical references throughout the play.

However, the transitions in the play were nice because the characters reveal that they were playing the part of the humans they were trying to tempt and it also helps the audience understand what was happening in the lives of Charlie and Christy.

Overall, the play was pretty good.