OF WARDROBES AND RINGS
By David Payne
Edinburgh Fringe
‘Last night I dreamt I had written The Lord of the Rings. I guess I was Tolkien in my sleep’. This was a joke I heard at the Edinburgh Fringe this August, but it was not the only mention of the famous author that month.
One very warm evening I attended the new play by David Payne entitled Of Wardrobes and Rings which imagines the final meeting of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books have sold in the millions and the film adaptations have earned billions. It is easy to forget, though, that they began life in the imaginations of two Oxford dons who met together with friends to read and critique one another’s stories in a local pub, The Eagle and Child.
It is here that the play is set. Lewis (David Payne) is unwell and he and Tolkien (David Robinson) are meeting to catch up in a private room set aside by the energetic American barmaid Hattie (Meg Ellisor). The initial encounter sees them engaging in witty, intellectual word-play and sharing happy memories of their early writing careers. Inevitably, they soon find themselves discussing the past hurts that led to their
theatre
estrangement. The conversation which follows looks back to episodes in their respective lives which will be familiar to those who have read their biographies. The dialogue is laced with echoes of their written works that will appeal to readers of their books.
Nature of truth
I enjoyed this play. The script was sharp, both funny and moving. It entertained, yet prompted meditation upon such topics as literature, the nature of truth and the delights of true friendship. The performances were all strong, despite the men having to perform in a very hot, blacked-out room while wearing tweed suits! Writer/actor David Payne bears an uncanny resemblance to Lewis himself (whom he also depicted in a play the following week).
The play will be of interest to those who have heard of their celebrated works, but have not yet been introduced to the authors themselves. For ‘fans’ of Lewis or Tolkien, it offers a vibrant glimpse into their friendship and what those Inklings meetings, now obscured by the worldwide fame of their stories, must have been like. The play also reminds us that both men were professing Christians ⎯ though not card-carrying Evangelicals ⎯ and that this faith underpinned and informed their writing and their friendship. The full play is set to tour.
