While Andy is off at serving his country at war, Melissa (Ellen M. Gregg) marries a man with the unfortunate name of Darwin; her own chaotic home life provides her with no blueprint with which to handle her own fleeting and tumultuous union. Just as she’s beginning to realize that Mr. Right might have been Andy all along, Andy writes that he’s met this “fantastic girl named Jane”; Jane soon becomes Mrs. Ladd III, the mother of his three sons; she stands by his side as he becomes a successful attorney, gets involved in politics and, eventually, elected to the U.S. Senate.

Presenting her art shows periodically in New York, Melissa’s work reflects the same lack of focus her life does, thus incurring the disdain of the critics; her relationship with booze outlasts any she’s able to scrounge up with a man. Her ex-husband manages to turn her daughters against her even more viciously than her own irresponsible behavior would have. Half of her letters are desperate lines thrown to Andrew, which she uses to guide herself to shore; the other half provide him with the support that he needs to make it in his complicated life—and more often than not, the swift kick in the ass he needs from time to time to keep himself, his life and his own loveless but politically necessary marriage in perspective. Their passionate, autumnal affair is what throws a wrench into 45-year-old monkeyworks.

Three sets of actors play Melissa and Andrew during the run of this show. On Feb. 20, Tim Robinson takes Andrew from a gawky boy to a determined man to a polished politician and finally, an enchanted lover/passionate friend, often with humor and always with warmth. Ellen M. Gregg, as Melissa, shows the artist’s instability by swinging wildly from one emotional extreme to the other, showing fleeting strength, frequent vulnerability, and total lack of focus. The one constant in her life is her desperate search for stability; the one constant in Andrew’s life is his need to be needed—by his family, by his country, and most of all, by Melissa.

Each actor brings a tremendous amount of heartfelt emotion to the stage, handled deftly and with great skill. The only discernable flaw, I found, was the matching of this particular pair; the 20-plus year age difference makes it difficult to believe the two grew up side by side.

The word bittersweet could have been coined specifically for this piece. Have a good laugh and bring a Kleenex.  

Love Letters
at the Leddy Center, 131-133 Main St., Epping
through Feb. 26, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $16.
Call 603-679-2781 for reservations.