Stick it on the BBC: Love Letters at Theatre Royal Haymarket reviewed

Love Letters by A.R. Gurney began life as an epistolary novella about two childhood friends, Andy and Melissa, whose on-off romance is traced through an exchange of letters lasting 50 years. In 1988, the script was turned down by the New Yorker magazine: ‘We don’t publish plays.’ Gurney hired an actress, Holland Taylor, and together they performed the script in a public library. From there it transferred to Broadway in 1989. It’s a minimalist’s dream. There are no costumes, and no set, and the actors can read the script without rehearsing or memorising their lines. This makes it a popular choice for galas and charity events. Elizabeth Taylor staged a version with James Earl Jones in 2007 to raise money for her Aids foundation. In 1995, a production starring Lynn Redgrave was presented to the jury in the O.J. Simpson trial during their day off.

Andy and Melissa meet as children in New England where their families are neighbours. Andy is the dutiful son of a stuck-up dynasty with political connections. Melissa, whose forebears are seriously loaded, is a rebellious cynic who doesn’t care for social niceties. ‘You may not have as much money as us,’ she announces, ‘but you’ve got a better family.’ She vows to follow her mother’s advice about romance. ‘Meet as many boys as possible before you marry. That way you’ll make less of a mistake.’ When she tires of writing letters he stands up to her and refuses to switch to phone calls instead. ‘A telephone call is dead as soon as it’s over.’

The pair are clearly bound to become an eccentric but successful power couple. Andy’s unimaginative diligence would make an interesting contrast with Melissa’s energetic and flirtatious charm.