FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2006

Lantern Theater Company is pleased to remount Philadelphia actor Anthony Lawton's adaptation and performance of The Great Divorce, based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, after two sold-out runs at the Lantern in January and February of 2005. Lewis' own favorite among his works, The Great Divorce is the story of Clive, a hapless professor, and the motley band of discontents who join him on a very curious bus ride. Journeying between Hell and Heaven, Clive crosses a surprising, wildly inventive landscape drawn by Lewis' philosophical imagination. Satirical and comic, The Great Divorce is a wondrous ride filled with dazzling insight and language. The Great Divorce will have a seven-performance limited engagement run from December 26 - 30, 2006.

Anthony Lawton's fascination with C.S. Lewis has not wavered over the years: "C.S. Lewis first caught my attention when I was a kid, with The Chronicles of Narnia," he says. "I read The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce in high school, and did not start reading his Christian apologetics until I was in my early twenties. I loved his lucidity, passion, companionability, articulateness, compassion, imagination, courage, and his sense of fun."

A talented local actor, in recent years Lawton expanded his artistic pursuits by adapting existing stories for performance and writing his own theatrical works, such as the 2005-06 Lantern production of The Foocy (honored with five 2006 Barrymore Award nominations, including Best New Play, Best Overall Production, among others). On his work with The Great Divorce, Lawton comments that "this adaptation proved quite easy, as the novel consisted largely of dramatic dialogue, which was beautifully written by Lewis and inherently stageworthy. I first performed the show in 1998, at a centenary celebration of Lewis' birth. I have been performing the piece steadily since then. I understand it was one of Lewis' favorite works, and it certainly ranks right up there for me, too."

The Great Divorce begins performances on Tuesday, December 26 and runs through Saturday, December 30, 2006. Single tickets, now on sale, range from $25 to $30 and may be purchased by calling the Lantern Box Office at 215.829.9002 or ordered online at www.lanterntheater.org or in person at the box office at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets, 10am-6pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour before curtain on performance days. Discounts are available for Lantern subscribers, students, seniors, and groups of 20 or more.

Where:
Lantern Theater Company
At St. Stephen's Theater
10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia

When:
December 26, 2006 at 7pm
December 27, 2006 at 7pm
December 28, 2006 at 7pm
December 29, 2006 at 2pm and 7pm
December 30, 2006 at 2pm and 7pm

Reviewing Press: are invited to attend the first performance of The Great Divorce on Tuesday, December 26.

Following The Great Divorce, the 2006/07 season continues with La Ronde (February 2-25, 2007) and The Taming of the Shrew (March 30-April 29, 2007). Single tickets for the 2006/07 season are $15-$30, with student, senior and group rates available. New this season: weekday performances at 7pm and a special 2pm Wednesday matinee offered once per run. Events, dates and times subject to change. For tickets and information, please contact the Lantern Theater Company box office at 215.829.9002 or visit us online at www.lanterntheater.org.