Love letters share dreams and disappointments of two separate lives

New Era Players: Love Letters by AR Gurney

at New Era Theatre, Wash Common

from September 4-7 and 11-14

Review by JUDE HASTE

SITTING in the charming and cosy setting of New Era Theatre, with its red velvet chairs and intimate stage, I was not sure what to expect, having not heard of the play or playwright before.

Directed by Lisa Harrington the production opened with the Ketty Lester song Love Letters (Straight from Your Heart), as Melissa and Andy entered their respective living rooms, left and right, set with two armchairs, two glasses of water against a minimal curtain backdrop with a central table and flowers.

Melissa’s bohemian travel case contrasted with Andy’s writing desk as they took their letters and showed us the joy, significance and secret worlds contained within them.

It was a pleasure to see two different pairings of actors – Suzy Pearson and Richard Tripp and Sally Hall and Stephen Bennett – perform over the two week run; both excellent.

The play touches on profound questions in our lives, while delivering sharp observations with wry wit, questioning the ‘What if’s?’ and capturing an increasing depth of friendship between two characters who, despite barely coming together in person, increasingly need to hear from each other.

Pathos and humour came as much from their lack of response as it did from their back-and-forth dialogue, performed with rhythm and comic timing as we followed their lives over five decades, experiencing their highs and lows, not always running in parallel, which left us yearning for them to get together, although it seems that only through letters can their love exist.

Suzy Pearson and Richard Tripp showed good pace and comic timing and all actors held their American accents well. Richard played a very believable Andy and Suzy Pearson caught Melissas decline in mental health very vividly.

Sally Hall brought lightness and mischief to Melissa, a contrast to the darker themes of the play such as her relationship with her mother and stepfather which had the audience gasp out loud, while Stephen Bennett showed great range of expression, emotional depth and comic timing with his Christmas letter and the passing of major events in Melissa’s life for which he gets no response: ‘Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Get Well Soon! A dozen red roses!! Silence Hey??’ Both sets of actors had great chemistry and their responses and facial expressions made me quite forget they were reading from a script.

A very smart choice for New Era.