GREENFIELD — A relationship of nearly 50 years is covered entirely through written correspondence in “Love Letters,” which was produced by the Silverthorne Theater Company this weekend as its spring fundraiser.
“Love Letters,” written by the playwright A.R. Gurney and premiered in 1988 in New York City, is famous because it “basically breaks all the rules of theater,” said director David Rowland.
The entire play features only two actors, sitting at a table and reading their letters to one another. Rather than portray action physically, on stage, it is only alluded to by the letters. And because reading letters is the only action of the play, the actors don’t even have to memorize their lines.
This makes it easy for actors to pick up quickly. The play is known for alternating casts every few weeks, Rowland said. This weekend, each of the three shows featured a different couple in the two roles.
The story begins when Melissa and Andy are in elementary school, in a wealthy community with strong social expectations. The setting is probably based on Gurney’s home of southern Connecticut, Rowland said.
“This was his milieu,” Rowland said. “He was writing about people with privilege, but I think he’s doing it to show that underneath it, they are as flawed as anyone else.”
The first letter is an RSVP from Andy to Melissa’s birthday party; next, they are passing notes in class, asking about being one another’s Valentine; then sending postcards from vacations, then letters from boarding school.
“If you erase everything, erase your status and everything, it’s your first infatuation from grammar school,” said Mike Haley, who performed the show on Sunday with his wife, Joan.
Mike and Joan Haley see Melissa as a “wild child,” perhaps rebelling against their society’s expectations, while Andy pushes himself to conform.
As the show follows these two through adulthood, the relationship becomes complicated, especially as each becomes romantically involved with others. Some of the drama comes from whether or not the timing and circumstances will ever allow Andy and Melissa to be together, Mike Haley said.
Performances were Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the new LAVA Center (Local Access to Valley Arts), next to the Pushkin Gallery on Main Street. The space opened at the end of the first week of February, and was envisioned as an “incubator” for all sorts of art, from performances to gallery shows to participatory demonstrations, said Lucinda Kidder, who produced “Love Letters” with Silverthorne Theater, and is one of the coordinators of the LAVA Center.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.