Theater lovers who would like to travel back in time — and across the Atlantic Ocean — will love “Christmas with C.S. Lewis,” a one-man show at the Ent Center for the Arts.

“We place the audience in (Lewis’) living room,” said actor Gregory Williams Welsch, who stars in the titular role. “You can get to know the man, and hopefully you’ll walk out of the theater feeling like you know him better than when you walked in.”

Created by British actor and playwright David Payne, the show is set in Lewis’ Oxford, England, living room in 1962, a year before his death. The “Chronicles of Narnia” author hosts an intimate gathering where he shares stories and reflections about love, faith and other topics.

Welsch, a longtime actor with extensive theater and film experience, did a deep dive into the life of C.S. Lewis before performing the one-man show.

“When people hear the name, they mostly think of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,’” Welsch said. “But there is a lot more to his story.”

In addition to the seven-book “Narnia” series, Lewis wrote about two dozen other books, which have been translated into more than 30 languages. A military veteran who fought in World War I, he tried to rejoin the military when World War II began, but was denied re-entry. Instead, Lewis spoke on BBC radio broadcasts while London was under threat from air raids.

Welsch touches on these things during the show, he said. He also shares stories about Lewis’ marriage to the American writer Joy Davidman, a union that contributed to his estrangement from his friend, author J.R.R. Tolkien.

“Lewis’ wife had been divorced previously,” Welsh explained. “Tolkien was a very devout Catholic, and marrying a divorced woman — especially in the late 1950s — was frowned upon. That’s part of reason they fell out for a while.”

Davidman died of cancer in 1960, four years after marrying Lewis. The author died three years later, on Nov. 22, 1963 — within hours of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Welsch, who has also portrayed Winston Churchill, spoke of the challenges of playing a well-known figure.

“Most people wouldn’t be able to pick C.S. Lewis out of a lineup,” he said. “There’s no video of him; believe me, I’ve looked. That gives you a little more leeway in playing him, but I listened to his BBC recordings and try to emulate his speech.

“But people know Churchill — they know his speech patterns, his mannerisms. You have to nail him.”

Welsch, who has been doing his traveling one-man show since late 2020, said he relishes playing such a beloved literary icon.

“It’s fun to play him,” he said. “Every night is different, every audience is different. It’s been an interesting journey, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”

IF YOU GO

What: Christmas with C.S. Lewis

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Ent Center for the Arts, Shockley-Zalabak Theater

Price: $64.50, entcenterforthearts.org