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A deeply moving and sharply witty new play by Dean Batali that imagines an intimate, late-in-life reunion between two of the 20th century’s most celebrated authors and thinkers—C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Step into the Rabbit Room of Oxford’s famed Eagle and Child pub in Lewis and Tolkien, a deeply moving and sharply witty new play by Dean Batali (That ‘70s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) that imagines an intimate, late-in-life reunion between two of the 20th century’s most celebrated authors and thinkers—C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Set in Autumn 1963, shortly before Lewis’s passing, this fictional meeting captures the heartache, humor, and hard-earned wisdom of a friendship forged through decades of conversation, collaboration, and creative fire. In this warm, wood-paneled room haunted by the ghosts of the Inklings, Lewis and Tolkien recount the origins of Narnia and Middle-earth, revisit the theological debates that once lit their late-night walks through Oxford, and wrestle with grief, estrangement, and the difficult road to reconciliation.
With sharp dialogue, unexpected humor, and emotional insight, Batali’s play explores the eternal themes that defined their work: faith, myth, sacrifice, and the power of story. It is a meditation on friendship, loss, and the enduring hope that there might yet be joy beyond the final shadow.
Opening October 30, 2025, at Museum of the Bible’s World Stage Theater in Washington, DC, this 90-minute production in association with MWO Productions runs through November 30. Tickets available now.
