American playwright A.R.Gurney’s 1988 double hander LOVE LETTERS has had a very distinguished life. Some of the top echolen of actors have performed in it including many who were couples in real life. The play has been widely translated and performed. The play has been performed in Australia by professional theatre companies, in Sydney most recently by the Ensemble Theatre, and has proved popular with community theatres.
Now it is the Genesian Theatre Company’s turn with its current production directed by Richard Cotter, with Cotter performing the part of Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and his real life partner Tricia Youlden as Melissa Gardner.
LOVE LETTERS charts the course of an intimate friendship that extended nearly to fifty years only ended by the Grim Reaper. The entire friendship is documented through correspondence. The play bears an affinity with Helene Hanff’s 1970 novel ’84 Charing Cross Road’ which had various adaptations, in again a very distinguished journey, including a stage adaptation on Broadway in 1982 starring Ellen Burstyn. Hanff’s novel comprised entirely of real life correspondence the writer had with the chief buyer of a bookstore on Charing Cross road, London. It could have well been that Hanff’s novel was the inspiration for Gurney writing ‘Love Letters’.
Perhaps inevitably I have come across Gurney’s play on a numerous occasions in various incarnations, The last time was only recently when I went to see the Theatre Guild Rockdale where the play was this theatre’s last production for the year.
Whilst the Genesian Theatre production was unremarkable, this Genesian Theatre Company revival was evocatively directed, performed and lit (by Cian Byrne), and if you have not seen LOVE LETTERS performed before this is an excellent opportunity to in this wonderful inner city venue.
A.R.Gurney’s LOVE LETTERS opened at the Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent Street, City until the 28th January 2024. performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7.30pm and Sundays at 4.30pm.
htpps://www.genesiantheatre.com.au
