Shadowlands description
Hugh Bonneville from Downton Abbey stars in a revival of C. S Lewis's Shadowlands.
Hugh Bonneville, BAFTA, Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe Award-nominated and star of TV's Downton Abbey and Paddington, reprises his critically-acclaimed role as C. S Lewis in Shadowlands. This is his story, an intimate portrait of the author of The Chronicles of Narnia exploring love, loss and faith. Bonneville's skilful, nuanced portrayal is set to wow critics and audiences all over again, a smash hit production first shown at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2019.
Originally created for TV in 1985 by William Nicholson (Gladiator), this 1989 stage adaptation by the playwright won the Evening Standard's Best Play Award before transferring to Broadway where it won a Tony Award. Then came the beloved Oscar-nominated, BAFTA winning 1993 film with Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, directed by Richard Attenborough. This story never grows old.
The scene is Oxford, where University Don C. S Lewis embarks on a transformative romance with the American poet Joy Gresham. As her honesty and wit chip away at a lifetime of beliefs and he begins to question everything, Lewis falls deeply in love. But the couple's powerful bond is tested to the limit when Joy is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Described as moving, tender and philosophical, this thought provoking play reveals how love lights up even the darkest of human experiences.
Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, who gave us Half A Sixpence and Here & Now – The Steps Musical, the casting is by Annelie Powell CDG. The producers are Jonathan Church Theatre Productions, Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Tilted.
Buy Shadowlands tickets to see Hugh Bonneville at his finest on stage, telling a beautiful love story with a difference.
Starring:
Hugh Bonneville
Playing at Aldwych Theatre
Shadowlands cheap tickets
No booking fee
Valid Monday - Thursday and Saturday evening performances 5 and 9 - 21 February 2026 Book by 2 December 2025.