Love Letters: Little Theatre of Savannah

Put people at a desk and have them read to the audience. Could be a particularly bad university lecture, could be a revival of the work of Spalding Gray, or it could be The Little Theatre of Savannah's production of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters.

Though The Savannah Dramaturgy may be a touch behind on the coverage for this piece, there are still a number of things that bear stating about this particular evening of theatre. In essence, this production demonstrates the power of a stripped down piece. Two people, and they connect.

Though there were two casts who served on a rotating basis, this reviewer only managed to get in to see the combination of JinHi Soucy Rand and Mark Rand. These two actors have demonstrated, once again, the reason they have been reliably entertaining Savannah audiences under a variety of banners. Mr. Rand performs with the same warmth and charm that made it impossible to believe in his guilt in Cardinal Rep's recent production of Doubt. JinHi embodies the freewheeling spirit of the formerly WASPy artist Melissa to the point that she truly does dance, even while seated.

Though they move little, one thing that the audience cannot help but notice is their ability to react to one another as the turn the pages of the letters. As each letter is turned over (and they are ably read, but not obviously or glaringly so) we watch as Melissa and Andy steadily and gradually age from note-passing elementary schoolers to Senate and psychosis.

Though credited with having a director (Jeroy Hannah, who also played Andy on the alternate nights), this cast hardly needed one, carrying the day with innate grace and the ability to truly listen to one another that must only be born out of deep partnership. Despite a general lack of utility, Mr. Hannah's director's note from the program does manage to use a lot of big words.

Love Letters seems to be following in a rash of smaller, intimate shows from a variety of Savannah theatres. Much like Cardinal Rep's Laughing Wild, this gives us a chance to sit down with some of our talent. Though larger shows (Catch-22 or Wait Until Dark) rpovide opportunities for work, closet shows like this have a capability all their own.