One of my favorite memorabilia pieces is a Cosmopolitan from January 1959 signed by Betsy Palmer. Palmer, perhaps best known for playing Mrs. Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th, had graduated from the Goodman School of Drama (now Theatre School at DePaul) and she autographed the magazine while performing in a benefit production of Love Letters in her native Indiana in 2005.
Since its arrival on the scene in 1988, Love Letters, always performed by two actors with scripts in hand, has become a bastion of fundraising events and superstar casting. Teams such as Kathleen Turner and John Rubenstein and Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards have all performed A.R. Gurney’s popular piece of work.
Keeping within that framework, PrideArts’ upcoming production of the show is functioning as a money-raiser for the organization. Nicely adding a queer spin, the rotating casts here are all same-sex, and director Jay Españo and the performers are all focusing on the beauty of Gurney’s script, which received a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
Españo along with Steve Scott, who will be enacting the show with long term partner Ted Hoerl, and Amber Mandley, partnered with decades-long friend Deborah Hamilton, spoke with Windy City Times about these elements and the true power of love and all its varied intricacies.
Windy City Times: First of all, Jay, I love this new idea for Love Letters. The script seems pretty bound, era-wise and situationally, in a heterosexual landscape, though. What made you think a same-sex take could work and have you changed any of the dialogue or situations to help clarify the new focus?
Jay Españo: At the core, the piece is about the relationship of Melissa and Andy as they explore the lifetime complexities of love and loss, which is universal and could very well work with a same-sex casting. We did a few minor changes with the pronouns and some of the situations but the bulk of the script remains the same. Because of the queer perspective, we inadvertently spotlight Mel and Andy’s parents. They became vital characters. In this iteration, we see these parents as accepting and supporting this special friendship to a certain extent (as they are also bound by the rules of society of that era when being queer is considered taboo).
WCT: I think the stunt-casting angle over the years has really taken away from the fact that the play was nominated for a Pulitzer and contains so much beautiful writing. Do you three have a favorite moment or sequence in the show?
JE: You’re right about the casting angle taking over and that actually helps in marketing the play. Unfortunately, nowadays, sometimes the writing is not enough to sell a show. Favorite moment? What really drew me to this play is the idea of seeing these characters grow up right in front of the audience. We meet them when they were in second grade all the way to their senior years, using only text, no costume change, no set change, just words.
Amber Mandley: It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite part when it is so beautifully written. I’m now looking at it from an acting standpoint, so I’m trying to remain objective.
Steve Scott: It’s hard to choose—it’s such a beautifully written play. Since I’m performing this with my husband of 45 years, Ted Hoerl, so many moments and scenes remind me of similar moments in our own relationship—and, as we’re getting up in years, the final scenes hit me particularly hard. But it’s wonderful to be able to explore our own lives together through the robust characters that Gurney has created.
WCT: Out of all the celebrities who have co-starred in the show over the years, is there a particular pairing that you would have loved to experience?
JE: If we’re going queer, Carol Burnett and Lily Tomlin would be a great pair.
AM: I’m a big fan of Kathleen Turner, so I would have loved to see her do it.
SS: The beauty of the script, I think, is that it’s specific enough to tell an emotion-filled story, yet open enough to be adaptable to each particular actor’s approach. But of all the great actors who’ve performed the piece, I really wish I could have seen Brian Dennehy and Carol Burnett together—probably because I worked with them both at the Goodman and came to really love both of them. But they are in some ways the oddest couple imaginable—one gruff and no-nonsense, the other funny and slightly crazy—and I think the oddest couples have the most success with this.
WCT: Jay, how did you decide on the local cast and what has the rehearsal experience been like? It must be amazing to engage with all the talent involved here.
JE: We wanted to cast real-life gay couples in the theater community, but had the challenge with scheduling for some couples. We’re lucky to have cast Steve and Ted who are a longtime married couple. But during rehearsals, it was amazing to see Kingsley, Jerry, Joette, Elayne, Amber and Deb bring their own experiences to these characters. I rehearsed with each pair separately and with every pair we discover something new that gives this added dimension to the story.
WCT: What is the main thing that you hope that Chicago audiences will take away from this production?
JE: Finding someone to be with is a lifelong journey. And if you’re lucky enough to have found someone, do everything you can to make it last.
SS: That every friendship/relationship has similar cycles: moments of joy, moments of alienation, moments of love, moments of longing and loneliness and ecstasy and tragedy. It’s impossible not to see yourself reflected in this play, no matter your gender or orientation or background or beliefs. It may be trite, but under the skin we’re all human, and that common humanity is what connects us. I think that’s the power of the theater, and especially of a play that is above all achingly, gloriously human.
AM: It’s going to sound cheesy, but I hope audiences realize Love is Love. In whatever shape it comes to you, be grateful, excited and happy. In August, I will be celebrating 30 years with my wife and we started out as friends. The physical love ebbs and flows, but the love for who she is as a person is constant.
Love Letters runs from April 11th – April 19th at Center on Halsted, 3656 North Halsted St. Further information is available at www.pridearts.org.