Love Letters – One Show, Two Casts!

 

 Peter Bolger and Rebecca Rowland Hines

 Ron Harman and Virginia Kincaid

Photos by Linda Talluto

 

By Tina Arth

It’s hard to imagine a show better suited to production in the middle of a pandemic than A. R. Gurney’s classic Love Letters. With only two cast members and minimal sets, lighting, and sound requirements it’s got it all: a tiny cast with no direct interaction between the actors means social distancing is a breeze, the actors can actually read their scripts (in the form of the letters) so there is less need for extensive in-person rehearsal, and the minimal design requirements mean that the production can be done relatively inexpensively, allowing for intentionally limited audiences without creating a huge financial burden for the theater company. In fact, many of these features have made the show an attractive option for small companies even in pre-pandemic times.

That said, this is not a simple show for either actors or directors, and I take issue with the assertion (in the show’s Wikipedia entry) that it “requires little preparation, and lines need not be memorized.”  I saw Mask & Mirror’s two casts last week, and it was clear to me that the quality of the show was a direct result of careful preparation on the part of the actors and a steady hand from Director Linda Talluto. Most important, it was amazing how clearly the two pairings (Rebecca Rowland Hines with Peter Bolger, and Virginia Kincaid with Ron Harman) were able, by carefully working with the lines, making them their own, and developing their own chemistry, to present two entirely different shows with exactly the same script.

A quick synopsis is in order, for those unfamiliar with the story. Melissa Gardner and Andrew (Andy) Makepeace Ladd III, friends since early childhood, have maintained a relationship primarily through letters for about six decades. The actors alternate reading their letters, painting a picture of a complex relationship that defies easy categorization. Flighty, sometimes scatterbrained (and very wealthy) Melissa hates the discipline of writing, and from the earliest letters she often adorns her work with pictures that express her ebullient nature and her budding talent as an artist. Andy, on the other hand, from early childhood is the sort who always colors inside the lines – he’s a rule follower and a conformist. While reasonably wealthy, he still feels a bit insecure about the economic gap between his family and Melissa’s. As the years pass, the two friends go in very different directions – Andy to law school, a prominent firm, a solidly respectable marriage with kids and a Golden Retriever, and ultimately the U. S. Senate. Melissa’s path includes lots of turmoil as she is shuttled throughout her childhood between her divorced parents and her grandmother. After being asked to leave a few schools, she studies art in Italy, has a failed marriage, and loses custody of two children due to her emotional instability.  Enough said – if you want to know how it ends, you’ll need to go see the show at least once. However, I recommend seeing it twice to evaluate for yourself how the characterizations change when played by different actors!

I vowed not to compare the two casts, and will adhere to that promise. All cast members do a fine job of reading as children in the earliest letters, without presenting a parody of how children talk – and they then seamlessly transition to adolescence and various stages of adulthood. It is clear that each actor has carefully crafted an approach, both when they are reading and when they are listening and silently reacting to their partner – be sure to watch both actors at all times to get the most of the unwritten emotional impact of the story.

Because it’s set between 1937 and 1988, many of the social conventions that bind Andy, Melissa, and their peers seem antiquated, but there are universal themes of relationships that transcend the limitations of the author’s chosen era.  Because of some adult content, this is not a show that is really appropriate for children – but it’s hard to imagine young children being remotely interested in the story and pacing anyway. For the rest of us, Mask & Mirror’s production can serve as a safe and gentle, but still very moving, reintroduction to the world of live theater.

Mask & Mirror’s production of Love Letters runs through Saturday, February 12^th in The Chapel at Rise Church, 10445 SW Canterbury Lane, Tigard.  Virginia and Ron perform on February 5^th (2:00 pm) and February 11^th (7:30 pm). Rebecca and Peter perform February 4^th and 5^th (7:30 pm) and February 12^th (2:00 pm).