The Great Divorce at the Lyceum Theater: A Play Review

I attended the opening performance of the stage adaptation of The Great Divorce (directed by Professor Susan Berkompas) at the Lyceum Theater on the night of February 23rd. As a fan of C.S. Lewis’s writing, I was eager to see how Vanguard’s theater department was planning on staging the production. I read the novel The Great Divorce not long before seeing the performance, and I knew from my theater department connections that the script was pulled from the novel essentially word-for-word, save for a few cut scenes. So, I was curious to see how such a theologically profound and abstract story could possibly work on a stage and still tell the same story as the novel. 

The majority of the props used in the play were large, dark gray, foam cubes. These blocks served as the seats on the bus, as steps, as the baggage and sins of the ghosts, and more. This simple method of using versatile foam blocks worked surprisingly well for staging the story. The blank, light gray background of the set made the colorful lighting and projections for each scene clear and effective, such as when white lighting would turn on in the presence of angels or saving souls and red lighting would turn on in the presence of demons or ghosts influenced by demons. 

Upon seeing the performance, I found out that not only did the Vanguard theater department pull off The Great Divorce as a stage production well, but the production also aided in my understanding of the novel. Just like the novel, the play began with a handful of the damned citizens from Hell boarding a bus to visit Heaven. Among the ghosts on the bus is the narrator (Jaida Albanito) who talks with some of the characters about their thoughts on their destination as the other ghosts from Hell start getting into fights on the bus. While as wordy as the book, this scene gave much-needed context for the premise of the show. The bus driver (Jenna Bolar) serenely continued to drive them all to Heaven. In a talkback after the show, Bolar said that “the bus driver is just thinking, ‘They have no idea what they’re getting into!’” This thought process was evident in her performance of the silent bus driver with a slight, tranquil smile. 

Upon reaching Heaven, one of the first encounters between a ghost and a saved soul is when the ghost (Micah Munck) discovers that the man (Ethan Munck) who murdered their mutual friend, Jack, is in Heaven while he, the ghost, is stuck in Hell. Micah Munck gave a potent performance that perfectly captured the ghost’s hatred of the murderer, as well as the ghost’s indignation, fury, and self-righteousness at the idea that a murderer ended up in Heaven and he did not.

By Yasmine Reid and Leilani Cranford (Lyceum Theater)

His protests of “I’m a good man who worked hard and did nothing wrong,” and “I’m asking for nothing but my rights!” sent a powerful message about how we, despite being sinners, think of ourselves as “good” by comparing ourselves to “worse” people and thus feel entitled to the blessings of Heaven, saying that at least we weren’t as bad as that person. However, as the redeemed murderer points out, none of us are good (Romans 3:10-12) so it’s not our own efforts that determine whether we go to Heaven or Hell, but it is the grace of God who saves when one puts their faith in Him. 

Eventually, the narrator meets famous Scottish author and Christian minister, George MacDonald (Luke Desmond) who explains Heaven and Hell. While his monologues are long and verbose, they are profound nonetheless. Ultimately though, MacDonald sums up who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell in one sentence: “There are those who say to the Lord, ‘Thy will be done,’ and then there are those to whom the Lord says, ‘Thy will be done.’” Upon Desmond’s delivery of this poignant statement, many members of the audience reacted with a resounding “mmmmm.” 

One of the most emotionally charged and well-acted scenes in the play was the scene of a ghost still grieving her son’s death and only wanting to go to Heaven to see him. The scene began with the dying son (Ethan Munck) laid on a bed of foam blocks, surrounded by his mother (Naomi Hogan), father (Elijah Munck), and sister (Ruth Gray), who all begged him to stay alive.

By Yasmine Reid and Leilani Cranford (Lyceum Theater)

Upon his death, the son was embraced and led to Heaven by Christ (Luke Desmond). When the ghost mother arrives in Heaven, she insists on seeing her son, while her saved brother (Micah Munck) tries explaining to her that until she learns to desire God and not just her son, she will never be able to stay in Heaven to see him. Hogan’s performance as the bereaved mother is heartbreaking. At the same time, her unhealthy obsession with her son, summed up by her declaration of “I don’t believe in a God who keeps a mother and son apart. I believe in a God of love. No one has a right to come between me and my boy, not even God! I want my boy, and I mean to have him! He is mine, you understand? Mine, mine, mine, forever and ever!” reminds us that any “love” that is not ruled by God turns into a corrupted, possessive attachment that is not love at all. 

Overall, this production of The Great Divorce was excellently staged and designed, and it contained many powerful acting performances. While some parts were wordy and verbose for the medium of a stage play, I would rather those parts from the book be kept in instead of changed, which would have run the risk of changing or diluting the profound theological content. There were also a couple parts that were difficult to understand, such as the tragedian scene with the giant puppet, but I blame this on the difficulty of translating such an abstract novel to the stage rather than any fault of the director or actors. I highly recommend seeing this production, but it will be very helpful to read the book first.