Screwtape.

The performance is devilishly powerful, sometimes enhanced and sometimes hampered by the chosen venue.

Veteran fringe performer John D. Huston, elegant and dapper in a smart business suit, dress shirt with French cuffs and cufflinks, polished shoes and a scarlet tie — the only concession to traditional hellish tones — advises his nephew on how to perfect his abilities as a tempter, while he prepares his keynote address to the next graduating class of young devils.

This dramatization of C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters, updated to include computer technology and such current references as mention of corruption in the Senate, is fascinating. It is also somewhat uncomfortable to have this content presented in the sanctuary of a church (the acoustics are not that good anyway) with the final speech delivered from the pulpit.

In the performance I saw, Huston pitched his presentation at such a high level from the beginning that it was difficult for him to extend his emotional reach. Nevertheless, this is one of the must-sees of the Fringe.

Note: This production is 75 minutes. Plays in St.Paul’s Eastern United Church Sanctuary (BYOV)

Screwtape

By John d. Huston. By the Book Productions