After Brian Dennehy and Mia Farrow, catch these casting combinations:
 |
| Mia Farrow and Brian Dennehy. Photo: Carol Rosegg |
Carol Burnett and Brian Dennehy
Oct. 11-Nov. 7
Alan Alda and Candice Bergen
Nov. 8- Dec. 5
Nov. 8- Dec. 5
Stacy Keach and Diana Rigg
Dec. 6 – Jan. 9
Dec. 6 – Jan. 9
Jan. 10, 2015 – Feb. 1, 2015
Letters Full of Love, Frienship Span 50-Year
Relationship
By Lauren Yarger
By Lauren Yarger
Spanning 50 years of a relationship played out
mostly in written letters, cards and notes, A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters comes to Broadway in style with a cast of big-name
actors starting with Brian Dennehy and Mia Farrow.
Seated side-by-side at a table (John Lee Beatty
was brought in for the almost unnecessary set), the actors read the pen-pal conversation
between Melissa Gardner and Andy Makepeace Ladd III in a 90-minute,
no-intermission performance.
“Dear Andy, thank you for the birthday present.
. . .”
And so begins, in second grade, a lifelong
friendship between the two. They write
to each other when separated at summer camp, family vacations, prep school, college
and into adulthood. Melissa’s first
stepfather may be abusing her. Andy thinks he might enjoy going to law school.
The two see each other from time to time in
person over the years too, when their schedules permit, but it is their letters
– a joy for Andy who loves to write long-winded, eloquent accounts of his
experiences but a labor for free-spirited Melissa, who prefers brevity and
drawing pictures – that really forge the foundation of their relationship. Even
when they aren’t speaking to each other over some disagreement, the letters
bridge the gap of silence.
The two become confidants, sharing all of their
experiences – and giving each other honest feedback – about sex, marriage,
raising children and forging careers. Melissa’s great promise as a painter
fades and she sinks into depression and alcoholism when she loses her children
in a custody battle. Andy, a married senator with the perfect wife and kids, must
be careful of appearances. He sends a wholesome family form letter for
Christmas.
At one point, the friends wonder whether there
is more to their relationship than meets the eye. Could all of the notes back
and forth really be defined as love letters? Could it be that all they really
have been looking for in a romantic relationship has been telegraphed all these
years on the pages of their written communications? Or is it too hard to
recreate the closeness of letters when they get up close and personal?
Gregory Mosher directs the fast-paced dialogue that
ranges from humor to heart-breaking drama (and Farrow, in particular, rises to
the emotion of the occasion). A finalist
for the Pulitzer Prize, Love Letters could get boring since
the two actors simply sit and read – it is oft-produced for fundraisers with
stars since no extended rehearsal is needed -- but Dennehy and Farrow manage to
hold the audience’s interest throughout, despite some flaws in their characters.
Love Letters plays at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, : 256
West 47th St. NYC, through Feb. 1, 2015.
Christians might also like to know:
-- God's name taken in vain
-- Sexual dialogue
-- Language
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