In their time-honored tradition of giving us a whole lot for our money, the Ensemble Theater Company (ETC) will produce A. B. Gurney’s immensely popular — with both audiences and performers — “Love Letters (1988),” for a one-time benefit performance starring Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross, (who played husband and wife in the long-running hit series, “Family Ties”).
The website StageAgent provides this comprehensive synopsis of Gurney’s play:
“When Andrew Makepeace Ladd III accepts an invitation to Melissa Gardner’s birthday party, and Melissa writes a thank-you note to ask just why he got her ‘The Lost Princess of Oz’ (answer: she looks like a lost princess), a romantic friendship and correspondence destined to last for almost half a century is born. Both from affluent, East Coast families — Melissa has more money, but Andy has better parents — the friends communicate with each other through angst-ridden boarding school experiences, European adventures, failed marriages, and the ups and downs of career. Over the course of their lives, Andy and Melissa’s relationship goes through many changes, as the sometimes-sweethearts/sometimes-friends go through periods of estrangement, and the intense, clandestine affair which will accelerate Melissa’s emotional breakdown. Despite the painful differences, which will ultimately tear them apart, they remain each other’s most trusted confidante, and are ‘true lovers’ on paper, if not on the earth. A.R. Gurney’s ‘Love Letters’ is a tender, tragi-comic, and nuanced examination of the shared nostalgia, missed opportunities, and deep closeness of two lifelong, complicated friends. While spanning five decades and numerous locations, it is staged simply, with two actors behind desks or sitting in cozy chairs, letting their words describe a world of emotion.”
“Love Letters is a tribute,” says Michael Gross, “not only to the lost art of pen, paper and letter-writing, but to a lifetime of friendship between two complex individuals, not to mention the four decades of friendship I have shared with Meredith — both on and off the stage.”
Meredith Baxter adds: “Our first performance of ‘Love Letters’ was in the 1980s, and here we are in 2024. We have traveled half a lifetime all around the country, getting to share this beautiful story. What good fortune!”
“As a benefit performance,” says ETC, “the event serves a dual purpose. Attendees will enjoy a world-class theatrical experience while simultaneously supporting ETC’s continued commitment to celebrating the human spirit with professional theatrical events that entertain, educate, provoke thought, ignite imagination, and encourage conversation.”
“Love Letters” will play at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, in the New Vic Theater (33 W. Victoria St.). Regular tickets are $40-$100; VIP Tickets are $400 (includes an exclusive post-show reception with Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross, and a $250 contribution to support ETC’s mission — hey, it’s a fundraiser!).
Tickets can be purchased through ETC’s ticket office at 805.965.5400 or online at www.etcsb.org.
Gerald Carpenter covers the arts as a Noozhawk contributor.