Love Letters

A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters, about a lifelong relationship between two upper -middle-class lovers, has featured many famous actors during its relatively short life. Since 1989, when it opened on Broadway, actors including Colleen Dewhurst, Paul Newman and Stockard Channing have taken a turn at the tender little tale. A lot of the play’s popularity stems from its simplicity. The story, about a love between a stuffy lawyer and a free-spirited artist that grows despite distance and time, spans five decades and is told in a series of letters. The actors usually sit onstage behind desks and read from their scripts, which might seem a boring setup, but the show’s power is in the tenderness and poignancy of the love the couple shares. Of course, the lean script takes strong performers, which the Country Playhouse production promises. Local stage veterans Barbara Lasater and Stuart Purdy star in the much-loved story for one weekend only.