Love Letters

The Absent Friends are elated to put on this beautiful play as a fundraiser to help keep the Athens Theatre afloat during these tough times.  This touching comedy is a perfect way to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day while seated in the socially distant, sanitized, and ever-romantic historic theatre.  Audiences may recognize the two actors as members of the Athens Theatre staff who have been featured in numerous Athens productions over the last 10 years–Alan Ware (Athens Facility Manager seen in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, A Christmas Story the Musical, Les Misérables, and many more) and Alexa Baldwin (Athens Director of Operations and Marketing seen in 9 to 5 the Musical, Les Misérables, Little Shop of Horrors, etc.)

A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters is a tender, tragi-comic, and nuanced examination of the shared nostalgia, missed opportunities, and deep closeness of two lifelong, complicated friends.  Over the course of their lives, Andy and Melissa’s relationship goes through many changes, as the sometimes-sweethearts/sometimes-friends go through periods of estrangement, and the intense, clandestine affair which will accelerate Melissa’s emotional breakdown. Despite the painful differences which will ultimately tear them apart, they remain each other’s most trusted confidante, and are “true lovers” on paper, if not on the earth.  While spanning five decades and numerous locations, it is staged simply, letting their words describe a world of emotion.

All proceeds will be donated to the Athens Theatre.

This play has some language and topics that may not be suitable for children.