William Nicholson’s play Shadowlands will embark on a national tour at the end of February.
The play covers the tragic love story of Oxford Don and author of The Chronicles of Narnia C S Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman. It won the Evening Standard Drama Award for Best Play and the film, also written by Nicholson and starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, won the BAFTA for Best British Film.
Alastair Whatley directs a cast led by Stephen Boxer as C S Lewis, Amanda Ryan as Joy Davidman and Tony Slattery as Lewis's brother 'Warnie'.
Boxer's credits include Humans, The Iron Lady and Doctors, Slattery's credits include Peter’s Friends and Whose Line is it Anyway? and Ryan's credits include The Forsyte Saga and Shameless.
Also in the cast are Simon Shackleton, Jeffrey Harmer, Ian Marr, Richard Holliday and Shannon Rewcroft, with Holly Smith and Alistair Higgins in supporting roles.
The tour schedule of Shadowlands is as follows:
- 18 – 27 February: Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
- 29 February – 5 March: Salisbury Playhouse
- 7 – 12 March: Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne
- 14 – 19 March: New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
- 29 March – 2 April: Theatre Royal Windsor
- 4 – 9 April: Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon
- 11 – 16 April: Festival Theatre, Malvern
- 19 – 23 April: Connaught Theatre, Worthing
- 26 – 30 April: CAST Theatre, Doncaster
- 16 – 21 May: Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield
- 31 May – 4 June: Birmingham Repertory Theatre
- 13 – 18 June: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
- 21 – 25 June: New Theatre, Cardiff
- 28 June – 2 July: Exeter Northcott Theatre
- 25 – 30 July: Richmond Theatre