of visalia fox theater has announced that the holiday spectacle “CS Lewis’ Christmas Starring Daniel Payne” will air on Fox on December 3, 2023.
This will be a matinee performance, with performances starting at 2pm and doors opening at 1pm. Tickets are on sale now. www.foxvisalia.org Call 559-625-1369 or stop by 308 W. Main Street, Downtown Visalia.
Early in his young adult life, C.S. Lewis, author of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series, believed that the story of Christ’s birth was nothing more than a feel-good myth. That all changed after he had a special encounter with his great friend and fellow writer JRR Tolkien. Although they both loved mythology in general, Tolkien was convinced that the myth of Jesus was the only true myth. That was the beginning of Lewis’ journey from atheism to Christianity. From that point on, Christmas took on a completely different meaning for Lewis.
Here we find him at his home near Oxford on Christmas Eve, entertaining a group of Americans celebrating Christmas in England. They are about to experience a series of unforgettable Christmas memories that will stimulate a variety of emotions: curiosity, laughter, joy, and even tears. Best of all, they’ll discover how meeting Tolkien forever changed his Christmas celebrations.
Since landing his first role as C.S. Lewis in the 1990s, David Payne has become one of the world’s leading actors in Lewis’ world. He appeared in over 1,000 of his productions as his CS Lewis and performed in front of approximately 750,000 audiences. There seems to be a magical connection between Payne and his audience. Throughout the performance, Payne fully embodies the role, making the audience feel as if they were in the presence of the great writer, scholar, and humorist.
