“Love Letters,” A.R. Gurney’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, has been performed countless times by notable actors, but busy ones, for the reason that neither memorization nor long-term commitment is necessary. They sit side by side at tables and simply read from notes, letters, and cards.
As Bonnie Grice, the founding director of Boots on the Ground Theater, said, “They’ve done it many times out here. Hampton Theatre Company has done it, Michael Disher has done it at the Southampton Cultural Center, but no one is doing it this year. It’s February. What’s not to love?”
So Ms. Grice has picked up the gauntlet and is bringing the play to the cultural center this weekend for three Valentine’s Day weekend performances, starting tomorrow evening at 7.
The story follows two childhood friends, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, who, over a period of 50 years, have exchanged notes, cards, and letters about boarding schools, marriage, children, divorce, and missed opportunities. Ms. Grice will play Melissa, and Matthew O’Connor the strait-laced Andrew.
Asked if “Letters” presented challenges different from more conventional plays, she said, “We have to be sure it’s not conversational. You’re writing letters. And that’s very difficult.”
“You read it as you’re writing it,” said Mr. O’Connor, “so each of mine begins ‘Dear Melissa . . .’ ”
“Another challenge is that you have to sit, and you can’t look at each other,” said Ms. Grice. “The recipient can’t publicize his or her reactions to the letters, there’s no mugging or making faces.”
While one character reads, the other looks straight ahead. Whenever there’s a break in the text that indicates the passage of time, both actors look at the audience.
Mr. O’Connor, whose acting credits include Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” lives in Hampton Bays. Ms. Grice, after 30 years of working full time in radio, now has an 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. slot on Sag Harbor’s WLNG. She founded Boots on the Ground in 2016 and has been doing plays at the cultural center since staging “The Miracle Worker” there in 2018.
In addition to tomorrow’s performance, “Love Letters” will be performed Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 3. Tickets are $25, $15 for students under 21 if purchased online, $30 and $20 at the door.
Claude’s restaurant in Southampton has a $25 lunch/brunch package. The Southampton Public House is offering 15 percent off food items for lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch.
