"Love Letters," by playwright A.R. Gurney, follows the lifelong correspondence between staid lawyer Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and lively, but unstable, artist Melissa Gardner.
It's part of a trio of one-act plays presented during Westfield High's "Weekend of Love." It's helmed by Westfield theater director Scott Pafumi, and showtimes are Friday-Saturday, Feb. 11-12, at 8 p.m. in the school theater. Tickets are $5; call 703-488-6430.
The couple's bittersweet relationship unfolds via their letters — both from what's written and what's left unsaid. The play traces their lives from childhood, through their teen years, until they're middle-aged adults.
WILL QUINN plays young Andy from elementary through middle school. "He's from a Republican family, does what his parents tell him to and gets good grades in school," said Quinn. "It's such a great love story that it's fun to be a part of it."
As a child, Andy starts writing letters to Melissa. "Later on, they realize they loved each other even then," said Quinn. "We're presenting this in a different style because we're reading letters, rather than having characters talk face-to-face. It's a beautiful love story, and it's fun to watch it happen." He believes the audience will fall in love with it, too, "because it's a once-in-a-lifetime love."
Senior Heather McGrath, 18, portrays Melissa from ages 5-12. "She's a rich kid, able to get whatever she wants," said McGrath. "But what she really wants is for her family to love her, so she's closest to her grandmother and to Andy. She met him at a birthday party, and their correspondence starts as a thank-you note and ends up with them being 40-year pen-pals."
And they're both opposites. "She's spunky and has a lot of attitude," said McGrath. "He's reserved, but she's in-your-face. I love it. It's so much fun because she says things direct and to the point, and she's cute in the unique way she expresses herself."
Because so much of the play is letter-reading, she said, "You need to get the emotions across with your face and voice to keep it interesting." The best part, said McGrath, is that it's different from anything she's ever done and she got to know Will better. "I really feel that the audience can connect with Melissa," she said. "You really get into her head by reading her letters."
Senior Katie Hanna, 17, plays teen-age Melissa. "She's just been sent away to school, has been molested and goes from guy to guy and doesn't want a steady relationship with Andy," said Hanna. "She's an artist and is sarcastic and makes fun of people. She has teen angst and is melodramatic."
She likes her role a lot and says it's probably the best part she's ever had. "It's been fun to work with such a small cast, and I know everyone in it very well," she said. "And I got an All-Star Cast award for it at the Virginia Theatre Association in October."
HANNA SAID the toughest part is that "you can't interact with the other person and can't make eye contact; you can't use your body, at all." But she's delighted just to be a part of this character's personality. She said each actress brings a bit of her own personality to the role of Melissa and, she added, "It's fun to make fun of Ben."
That would be senior Ben Mattox, 17, who portrays Andy from a teen to early 20s. "He's getting more into the whole, boy-girl thing," said Mattox. "When he gets out of an all-boys school, he likes to party, but he's still reserved. He tries to get Melissa to make a commitment to him, but she refuses, so he gets another girl. He has a deep moment with her, telling her how much he loves to write, and it's the first time you see into the depths of his soul."
Although Andy is not exactly Ben, Mattox said he can do a lot with this character. And being the same age, he said, "I can create the whole prep-school persona for him pretty easily. And it's easy to read the letters and recite the lines. I like A.R. Gurney's writing style when he's portraying Andy."
Senior Carolyn Agan, 17, plays Melissa from ages 25-50. "She's back and forth, having some mental problems, and goes between her husband and lovers," explained Agan. "She moves a lot and can't decide if she does or doesn't want to do her art."
The role's definitely been a challenge, she said. "There's so much variation in her character — and so much depth — so it's hard to find all her nooks and crannies," said Agan. "And she's a lot older than me and has a lot more life experience."
She said the hardest part is a scene where she and Andy fight and their words overlap. "It's very fast-paced, and we've had to practice it a lot," she said. "The best part is when she's traveling in Europe and is very flighty, sarcastic and witty."
Junior Barry Armbruster, 16, plays Andy from mid-20s to his 50s. "He's very conservative and straight-laced," said Armbruster. "He's trying to please everybody and conform to what they think he should be. He goes into the Navy, becomes a lawyer and then a senator — he's perfect."
THE PROBLEM, he explained, is that Andy thinks he's happy, but something's missing from his life — and it's Melissa. "He's always loved her, but didn't realize it until it was too late," said Armbruster. "He looks back on their relationship through their letters."
He enjoys playing this character and says he's complex and challenging. "He's conservative, but has moments where he wants to let loose," said Armbruster. The most difficult part, he said, is the pacing. "The build up of emotion has to be very slow, so you have to keep yourself restrained until the very end," he said. "It requires lots of character control."
But he's pleased because it lets him show off a part of his range as an actor — more subdued and representational — that the audience doesn't usually get to see. Added Armbruster: "I think people will love the show. It's beautiful writing and the cast is very talented."
The stage manager is Helen Lynn, 17, who's also enjoying her job. "I like the technical aspects of theater and dealing with actors, so it's kinda cool," she said. "The show's very emotional and mature and illustrates how our department can go from something as silly as 'Midsummer Night's Dream' to something as modern and dramatic as 'Love Letters.'"