Readers’ theater
On a tiny set, the actors don’t leave their desk’s chairs, situated side-by-side, till final curtain call, sitting there reading letters written to each other that encompass several decades and many life transitions. The first letters are from when the pair were 9-year-olds (invitations, thank-you notes, “check this box if you like so-and-so"), and it soon becomes clear that this is a case of opposites attracting.
Andy Ladd is polite, a little stuffy even, and he loves to write. O’ Hare plays him in as awkward and shy and ultimately a perfectly endearing person. Melissa is a little hellion, who prefers to draw pictures instead of write, such as her rendition of a bed pan when she’s in the hospital with a broken leg. Although Miller’s voice was a little whiny at first, I grew to like her thrill-seeking Melissa.
In response to Andy’s form letter detailing his family’s achievements, which are over-the-top pretentious, Melissa writes back that if she ever gets another “drippy, Xeroxed, Xmas letter about his ducky family, I will come visit you for dinner, and I will stand up on my chair and moon the whole fucking family! Sincerely, Melissa.”
I was truly amazed at how much of a bond the actors managed to create with no physical interaction. Using only letters read back and forth, O’Hare and Miller took us on a voyeuristic ride into the hearts and minds of two fictional characters that was true to life and very moving.