Theater Review: Love Letters

by Dennis Sloan of John Garcia's The Column

Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre presents a short benefit run of A.R. Gurney's oft-performed Love Letters this weekend, which should prove a nice choice for anyone hoping for a bit of brief but sentimental Valentine's entertainment. This particular piece has seen its fair share of big names - Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Christopher Reeve and Julie Harris are but a few of the well-known actors who have lent their talents to Gurney's Pulitzer Prize-nominated script over the last 20 years.

Love Letters spans roughly 50 years in the lives of Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd, III. The two begin to exchange letters as early as grammar school and continue to do so well into their golden years. Their relationship is at times warm and poignant, at times difficult and strained. The one constant between them is the letters, which constitute the play's entire script. Practically speaking, then, Love Letters is a wise production choice given the current state of the economy.

In a variation on the typical staged reading, the actors traditionally wear minimalistic costumes and read from stationary positions in simple chairs. Director and Production Designer Scott Kirkham gives the basic design elements a touch of added drama, with Melissa (Sylvia Luedtke) and Andy (Grant James) reading the letters from large scrapbooks while sitting in comfortable arm chairs before a rack of unused lighting instruments. Ostensibly, the latter is meant to reiterate the theatricality of the event, reminding the audience that we are not exactly watching a play; though the effect is somewhat distracting at first, the focus shifts to the actors fairly early on and generally stays there.

As wealthy party-girl Melissa, Luedtke offers a delightfully animated performance. Though restricted to her chair throughout the performance, Luedtke finds ways to use her arms, legs and general posture to communicate excitement, disgust, boredom, depression, and myriad other emotions. Too, Luedtke offers a gradual but clear vocal and physical progression from peppy fourth grader to rebellious high school and college student, all the way to embittered divorcee. In the second act, her simple use of a simple glass of water (which appears to be present solely for the actor's personal use until she picks it up) communicates a wealth of information and emotion.

James turns in a soothing vocal performance as stuffy, toe-the-line Andy. The deep, warm timbre of James's voice provides a sense of calm security, both to Melissa and to the audience. In his best moments, James exhibits a subtle but effective sense of comic timing. While his general lack of physical movement is in some ways appropriate to the character, however, James looks fairly uncomfortable in his chair and slightly less invested in the play than his counterpart; while Luedtke attempts to act the play fully from her seat, James at times commits only to a straight, somewhat detached reading of Gurney's work. The result works against James, as his letters are occasionally upstaged by Luedtke's more vivid reactions to them.

The remaining production elements are fairly appropriate to both the play and the production. While James sports a simple checked shirt with tan blazer and loafers, Luedtke wears flouncy, playful top and moderately flashy accessories. The performance is occasionally underscored with music to indicate either the time of year or the passing of time between letters; most of it seems to come from the Romantic era, but there are some recognizable holiday tunes.

The only question that remains at the end of Love Letters is whether or not it still holds up more than 20 years after its debut; it has a good deal to say about relationships and even about gender roles, but one wonders how much of what it says represents an outmoded way of thinking, particularly with respect to women and how they relate to men. That said, the play certainly maintains some general relevance for a contemporary audience, which will recognize many of its themes.

Any fan of sentimental Hollywood romance or, perhaps, anyone who has been in a complicated relationship, will find moments of identification in Gurney's work. Love Letters may not prove to be the Great American Play, but FMPAT's production provides a comfortable evening or afternoon of entertainment in just under two hours.

Purchase tickets online or by calling 972-724-2147.