Stowe Theatre Guild clears hurdles to stage ‘Love Letters’ Sept. 29-30
September 19, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
'Love Letters' poster by Mikal Schalk
The show was on until it was off, but now it’s on again as Stowe Theatre Guild has rolled with multiple challenges over the past several months.
The bottom line: Two special performances of playwright A. R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” will be staged at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center next Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30, at 7:30 p.m.
Originally planned for mid-August, the charming two-person play with a star-studded pedigree, is the only show the nonprofit community theater group announced for this year. The organization has wrestled with logistics in both the theater community and their own town hall since springtime.
In early summer, the group said it would not present any programming this year due to a lack of viable productions waiting in the wings post-pandemic.
In July however, it announced that “Love Letters” would make a special two-performance visit in mid-August at the Town Hall Theater. “It’s important we keep our doors open even if this is an unconventional season,” said Leslie Anderson, Stowe Theatre Guild vice president.
But just as tickets went on sale, town officials were hearing about problems with the air-handling system for the second floor of the Akeley Memorial Building on South Main Street in Stowe where the theater is located. Until repairs could be made, the theater could not safely host a show and audience, they said. The performance was put on hold.
The Stowe Reporter in August reported on the building-air issues that put the brakes on “Love Letters” being staged in the Town Hall Theater.
Moving on to “plan C,” theater guild members have successfully rescheduled the production for the planned two-night run at the much larger Spruce Peak venue.
“Thanks to the incredible support of Spruce Peak Arts and the tireless dedication of this art-loving community, we are THRILLED to announce that our fall performance of Love Letters is back on!” the group announced on social media. “Your heart will be a whole lot fuller after experiencing this touching, evocative journey of two people whose love for each other transcends the constraints of time and space.”
A finalist for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Love Letters” follows the lifelong correspondence of childhood friends Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, from summer camp and boarding school to romantic attachments and family estrangements. Eloquent, funny, and touching, the play explores the depths and transcendence of true love.
The play stars John Weltman and Linda Monchik, who recently performed “Love Letters” at the Cotuit Center for the Arts on Cape Cod. Both are veteran performers in Cotuit and at theaters across New England.
“We are thrilled to have John Weltman back on our stage, who performed ‘Tru’ here last season,” said Leslie Anderson, Stowe Theatre Guild vice president, referring to the 2022 one-man show about writer Truman Capote.
Love Letters has boasted one of the most impressive rosters of actors in history. The roles of Andrew and Melissa have been played by many heavyweights including William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Christopher Reeve, Holland Taylor, Christopher Walken, Lynn Redgrave, Sissy Spacek, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Alec Baldwin, Charlton Heston, and Laura Linney. Even on-screen couple Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal and real-life partners Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks have had turns in the roles.
Performances are Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30, at 7:30 p.m. at Spruce Peak Performing Arts. Tickets: $25. Run time is 94 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Due to mature content, the production is suggested for audience members ages 18 and older. Free parking will be available in the Village Lot and upper deck of the parking garage beside the theater.
Find tickets and more information online at sprucepeakarts.org. More information about Stowe Theater Guild is online at stowetheatre.com.