Shadowlands review: Hugh Bonneville shimmers in tender exploration of love, faith and loss
Paddington star Hugh Bonneville is on stage from now until May.
Shadowlands at the Aldwych Theatre, written by William Nicholson and directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, tells the story of great English author CS Lewis and his relationship with American writer Joy Davidman. The story asks whether suffering is the price of love. Whether intellectual faith can survive lived grief. Largely, it succeeds in taking audiences on the emotional journey.
Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Siff, unsurprisingly, deliver laudable performances, grounding the production in warmth and humour. Their connection feels sincere, and so the story’s message feels personal rather than an abstract concept.
Where the relationship, and show at large, might have benefitted is from a sharper portrait of Lewis before Joy enters his life. A greater emphasis on his romantic isolation would have created a clearer contrast between the man who theorises about pain and the man who must endure it. As it stands, Lewis feels broadly consistent before and after meeting Joy, softening the emotional transformation he undergoes.
For all its looming tragedy and theological debate though, Shadowlands is frequently and genuinely funny. The comedy never feels forced or tonally jarring; instead, it serves to deepen the emotional core of the play.
The supporting cast, including Jeff Rawle, Timothy Watson and Tony Jayawardena, serve to orbit the central relationship. They often function as intellectual foils but do bring a texture to Lewis’s world outside of his relationship with Joy.
Most frustrating is the handling of Joy’s son, whose storyline initially suggests a poignant thematic parallel; both to Lewis himself and to Digory in The Magician’s Nephew (the first of the Narnia books). Despite a confident presence from Ayrton English, the script doesn’t allow the character’s arc to fully develop. What begins with emotional promise ultimately feels underexplored and a potentially resonant thread is left flat.
Shadowlands doesn’t shy away from grief, but neither does it wallow in it. Instead, it offers something gentler; the idea that love is worth the cost. That, supported by an exceptional cast, makes for a moving and often deeply affecting evening.
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When and where can I see Shadowlands?
Shadowlands is playing at Aldwych Theatre until 9 May 2026. The Aldwych sits a short walk from Temple (District and Circle Line) and Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line).
You can buy tickets now at TodayTix and LOVETheatre.
Check out our round-up of the best immersive experiences in London.
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