A C. S. Lewis Weekend

I'm having a Clive Staples Lewis weekend. I am listening to the musical, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" that my friend, Lito composed and Trumpets put up in the Philippines for the first time in 1998. The musical is based on the C. S. Lewis story from the Chronicles of Narnia. I dug up my CD and listened to it again with fresh ears. I have always thought the music was beautiful, but could have been biased since it was my friend's creation and a Trumpets production. Listening to it now after seven years, and its music still manages to enthrall me. It also brought back so many memories for me of rehearsing and doing the musical, as well as the late hours we spent in the studio recording the CD. It was such a good musical that I hope other people get the chance to see and enjoy it. I'm praying that a producer will be interested to put up the musical here. It's timely since Disney's coming out with the movie version this December. I think doing the musical sometime after that would be a great idea.

Tumnus and Lucy in Narnia

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

A Trumpets Production, Manila, Philippines

Another C. S. Lewis thing I am into this weekend is his book, The Screwtape Letters. He shows the same sublte but great command of biblical truths which he did in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as an insight into the psyche of one whose business is manipulation and temptation. He starts off by saying, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other, is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight." Its protagonists are two demons, Wormwood and his uncle, Screwtape. Through letters, Screwtape strives to teach Wormwood how to exploit all the weaknesses of this "foolish two-legged animals" called humans and keep their mind on everything except God. I find Screwtape's assessment of man as so true that it has me burst out laughing many times.

I wish I had an ounce of the talent and sense of C. S. Lewis, or the musical abilities of my friend, Lito. I often wonder how people can be so talented. And even more amazing that talent, when used for good, can affect lives in such a positive manner. C. S. Lewis died seven years before I was born, and here I am still enjoying and learning from his gifts. I have no doubt that Lito is going to leave the same kind of legacy somehow, someday. The good that we do with the talent that God gives us will always leave an imprint in someone's heart.