{"id":142964,"date":"2026-01-30T17:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T22:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=142964"},"modified":"2026-01-31T09:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:05:45","slug":"church-times-the-story-of-c-s-lewiss-marriage-exploring-love-loss-and-faith-is-back-on-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=142964","title":{"rendered":"(Church Times) Shadowlands, the story of C. S. Lewis\u2019s marriage, exploring love, loss, and faith, is back on stage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

William Nicholson\u2019s original script will barely be changed in the production at the Aldwych Theatre, which opens next week, apart from updating a story that a character reads from a newspaper. Raised as a\u00a0Roman Catholic<\/a>, Mr Nicholson initially had no time for C. S Lewis, sharing his mother\u2019s view that the Narnia author was a \u201cdrippy Protty\u201d. But, when his colleage in the BBC\u2019s religious department Norman Stone \u2014 filmmaker, Lewis fan, and Christian \u2014 suggested creating a television drama about Lewis\u2019s relationship and marriage to an American mother-of-two, Joy Davidman, Mr Nicholson was transfixed by their slow-burn love story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI personally connected, as a much younger person \u2014 I was 36 at the time \u2014 to the whole question of fear of commitment in love, which is maybe more of a male thing, but it was certainly something I was experiencing. I wanted to love and be loved, but was very afraid of committing myself to a full love affair, love relationship, marriage, children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lewis\u2019s loss of his mother at the age of ten probably affected the author\u2019s ability to form close relationships, Mr Nicholson thinks. \u201cWhen the person who is most central to your life, who gives you your sense of being loved, disappears and leaves you in pain, it\u2019s reasonable to conclude that something closed off at that point, and had to be opened again. I responded to the fear of being made vulnerable by love. I made that one of the central themes, because that related strongly to me. I wasn\u2019t married at the time; so I was able to channel a bit of myself into Lewis, and Lewis into myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

"Shadowlands speaks to something deep in all of us about loss, love and loss, and the fear of loss."

The story of C. S. Lewis\u2019s marriage, exploring love, loss, and faith, is back on stage, says @SusanGrayMeets<\/a> #CSLewis<\/a> #Shadowlands<\/a> #grief<\/a> #theatre<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/ltrjwQftU9<\/a><\/p>— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) January 31, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>