PRESENTATION
Love Letters is a play
by A. R. Gurney that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for
Drama. The play centers on two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace
Ladd III. Using the epistolary form sometimes found
in novels, they sit side by side at tables and read the notes, letters and
cards – in which over nearly 50 years, they discuss their hopes and ambitions,
dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats – that have passed
between them throughout their separated lives. While Andrew becomes a U.S.
senator, Melissa fails as an artist. In the end Melissa kills herself.
Biography of Albert Ramsdell Gurney
Born in Buffalo in New York, Gurney, a
graduate of St. Paul's School
(Concord, New Hampshire), attended Williams
College and the Yale School of Drama, after which he
began teaching Humanities at MIT.
He began writing plays such as Scenes
from American Life, Children, and The
Middle Ages while at MIT, but
it was his great success with The
Dining Room that allowed him
to write full-time. Since The
Dining Room, Gurney has written a number of plays, most of them concerning WASPs of the American northeast. While at
Yale, Gurney also wrote the musical: Love
in Buffalo. This was the
first musical ever produced at the Yale School of Drama.
Gurney's latest play is "The
Grand Manner," a play about his real life encounter with famed actress Katharine Cornell in her production of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. The play was
produced and performed by Lincoln Center for
the summer of 2010. It was also produced in Buffalo by the Kavinoky Theatre.
Gurney has also written several
novels, including:
The Snow BallThe Gospel According to Joe
Entertaining Strangers
Gurney has also appeared in several
of his plays including The
Dining Room and most notably Love Letters.
In 2006, Gurney was elected a member
of the American Academy of Arts
and Letters.
PRESS REVIEW
TELERAMA
Jan 15,
2014
A long and huge mahogany table. On each side, Gerard Depardieu (on the
left), heavy, dark suit and white shirt; Anouk Aimée (on the right), in a
scarlet red dress, diaphanous complexion, dark hair and no wrinkle. Beauty at
its most aged 81. She even gently bites her upper lip as a beginner.
Performing the Love Letters by American writer A.R. Gurney for the 6th
time might the reason why Lola from
the Jacques Demy movie still delivers the same looks with an unreasonable
ingenuity.
From
its creation in 1990 with Bruno Cremer, the only feminine actress has been
acting opposite to Jean-Louis Trintignant, Philippe Noiret, Jacques Weber and
Alain Delon…The tables sometimes changed (sometimes two small), the lighting
(small lecture spot or not), the shape of the jugs of water, of the glasses or
of the actor’s glasses.
But
everything just remains the same. Like it’s still. And surprisingly open to the
sensitivity of the play, even if it’s a reading. Even with a rather
conventional American romance and its visible strings.
From
childhood to death, we follow the path of 2 lovers who will never succeed to
live together. She’s rich, frivolous and
is suffering from depression. He’s a hard working poor man who wins but is
plagued by doubts and a lack of confidence. Since their school years, they sent
each other letters. While he’s mad about her, she continuously makes fun of him
but proves to be unable to do without him. Of course, they will never reunite
just like so many others before them and others after them.
The
success of this exchange of letters is based on this failure everybody has once
experienced, the intimate memories attached to it and our own reflection embodied
on stage by the actors. But whatever! The audience is well aware that it’s only
an excuse to see two amazing actors face each other. They’re the ones we come
for and admire more than the mere text.And it’s worth it. And the reading eventually comes with good surprises even with the text in hands Depardieu is just brilliant.
First confused by the softness of his voice contrasting with his massive body. The voice of an angel stuck in the body of a bull.
It’s like there’s an animal on stage, a monster, something out of the ordinary which is both puzzling and awe inspiring leading to fascination and respect.
During the performance, he suddenly changes colour as he gets speechless in front of his stage partner with her playful and cocky elegance.
But his reedy voice suddenly change like no other. Sitting in front of us, he suddenly embodies the deepest and most secret unconscious contradictions of the beings.
A simple gesture with his glasses, or his outstretched arm towards his lost partner feels like thunder.
But with the utmost lightness. He cannot say -as he recently did- that he’s bored on stage, it’s a lie. He’s just too detailed in his play and full of respect for the audience in every single word and even when being silent, dreaming or pausing for a while.
The audience give them the biggest hand for the amazing performance.
For an hour and a half, the room is religiously silent. The audience only daring to breathe with the actors.
Every single spectator of the fully booked house is standing at the end, demonstrating their admiration. There’s something beautiful to witness a seduced audience sharing the same emotion. Almost as beautiful as two legendary actors at their very best.
SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF GÉRARD DEPARDIEU
Gérard Depardieu started his acting career at the small traveling theatre
"Cafe de la Gare", along with Patrick
Dewaere and Miou-Miou. After minor roles in cinema, at last, he got
his chance in Bertrand Blier's Les valseuses (1974). That film
established a new type of hero in the French cinema and the actor's popularity
grew enormously. Later, he diversified his screen image and became the leading
French actor of the 80s and 90s. He was twice awarded a César as Best Actor
for Le dernier métro (1980) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990),
also received an Oscar nomination for "Cyrano" and a number of awards
at international film festivals. In 1996, he was distinguished by the highest
French title of "Chevalier du Légion d'Honneur".
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
OF ANOUK AIMÉE
She is the daughter of the actress Geneviève Sorya. In 1948 she
played the part of Juliette in Les amants de Vérone (1949). In the
following years (fifties and beginning sixties) she made various films
(e.g. Les amants de Montparnasse (1958) and La douceur de vivre (1960))
but had only with Lola (1961) of Jacques Demy and Un
homme et une femme (1966) of Claude Lelouch major success. With
the latter she had the chance to establish herself in America but did not use
this opportunity. Therefore she was only participating in second row productions
in Europe and America.
CREDITS
« Love Letters »
A.R. Gurney
With Gérard Depardieu and Anouk Aimée
Direction: Benoît Lavigne
Costumes: Elisabeth Tavernier
Lights: Fabrice Kebour
Music: Micel Winogradoff
Translation and adaptation:
Alexia Périmony
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