.Lady and the Stamp: ‘Love Letters’ at Lucky Penny

A spare but effective production, A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters, now running with three alternating casts at Napa’s Lucky Penny through Feb. 16, is a tremendous piece for actors. 

With no frills, special effects, snazzy sound or costume design, the emphasis on the actors and their characters makes us aware of the power of the writing and the nuances that each actor brings to their role.

This Barry Martin-directed production has a gentle but powerful subtlety that creeps up ever so slowly. It leaves the audience with a deep sense of the human condition, as portrayed by a lifetime of letters shared between two wildly different friends. While seemingly predictable, the ending belies something refreshingly dark that subverts the typically neat and tidy love story formula.

The work here is excellent. LC Arisman, as the tumultuous and vivacious WASP-free spirit artist Melissa Gardner, demands attention and is fully locked into her performance. Arisman’s voice transports one to a time and place gone by. She embodies the distraught but insanely charismatic Melissa with a full sense of humanity—a considerable feat considering that each character remains seated at a table the entire show. Arisman gives a remarkable performance. 

Likewise, North Bay regular John Browning uses his velvety, melodic voice to craft a steadfast but torn Andy Makepeace Ladd III, whose bittersweet devotion to Melissa carries the massive weight of unrequited love. Together, these two performers take one on a saga across the decades without ever touching or making eye contact. Pride, denial and obligation keep the characters apart. They are connected only by their occasional dalliances and a continuous stream of letters and cards to one another.

And that’s it. That’s the play. Simple? Perhaps. However, this reviewer found the show to be wholly complex and psychologically revealing, as are human relationships. Each segment reveals more profound layers of motivation and conflict until there is no going back for these two (whom one cannot help but root for). While a connoisseur of more edgy and offbeat theater, this reviewer was pleasantly surprised by what transpired on the stage. 

The experience of seeing this story and the richness of its writing unfold is a true reward to theater lovers and aficionados of well-honed acting and is highly recommended (even with two other casts).

‘Love Letters’ runs through Feb. 16 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center. 1758 Industrial Way, Napa. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $30–$40. 707.266.6305. luckypennynapa.com.