

This surely is a cruel providence that keeps her apart from her son. When we first meet her, we might relate with her side. In one of these scenes, a mother who lost her son pleads to be brought to see him. The true heart of the production is a pair of conversations, each with a ghost, both played by Carol Halstead.

It also brings an immediacy to their decisions that helps the audience grasp their import at a deeper level. Seeing the characters on stage heightens the stakes because it helps the audience picture them as actual people and not just characters. The medium lends itself to the message of the story. The conceit of this particular adaptation is that the more than 20 characters are played by just four actors, which works surprisingly well. The conversations between the passengers from Hell (ghosts) and the heavenly beings (spirits) are really the core of the original book and the vehicle through which Lewis develops his ideas. But if they stay, they must accept the love offered to them and relinquish the fears and desires that ruled them on Earth and that continue to rule them in Hell. Once they arrive, they can choose whether to go or stay. The story follows a group of passengers who travel on a bus from Hell to Heaven.

McLean’s version maintains the magic of Lewis’ masterpiece and even adds new vitality and immediacy. An adaptation of the story from Max McLean and the Fellowship for Performing Arts masterfully draws out Lewis’ themes and brings them afresh to a new audience. We might think we understand the doctrine of sin, but seeing it unfold through a story can help us grasp it at a deeper level. He is especially skilled at showing our rationalizations and the true darkness that inspires them. Lewis deftly pulls back the curtain to reveal the workings of sin behind what might first be seen as excusable behavior.

In the classic fable The Great Divorce, C.S. And even when we do recognize sin, we are more likely to note the sin of others and explain our own away. And for good reason! To grapple with the true weight of our sin is a heavy burden indeed. We prefer to gloss over sin rather than face it. Humans are incredibly skilled at rationalizing sin.
