West Michigan couple Gary E. Mitchell and Mary Beth Quillin will return to Marine City’s Snug Theatre for their third summer, Aug. 12 – 28 with A. R. Gurney’s “Love Letters.”
Through the time-honored tradition of letter writing, audiences meet Andy and Melissa and follow their love affair from second grade through college; as they grow apart and marry others, still maintaining a relationship across the miles. Spanning the years 1937 – 1984, this story will resonate with those who remember the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War Years and the crazy sixties and seventies.
Gurney’s performance piece is considered a rite of passage for most acting couples and was nominated in 1990 for a Pulitzer Prize in Drama. It opened on Broadway in October of 1989 with an opening night cast of Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards. In the play’s long history, many notables have performed the roles of Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, childhood friends whose lifelong correspondence begins with birthday thank you notes in second grade.
Coral Andrews of Playwrights and Stage Actors says,, “The most poignant element of Gurney’s piece is the story between the lines, the words Andy and Melissa cannot bring themselves to write.”
For tickets, log on to the theatre’s website: www.riverbanktheatre.com and for more information about GEM Theatrics visit our website at www.gemtheatrics.com.
Snug Theater is located at 160 S. Water St., Marine City, Michigan.
