Word: melissas
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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This style of indirect conversation works because Gurney's script is so strong. He keeps the relationship of Andrew and Melissa exciting, touching and humorous by never lingering too long on one subject. The script keeps the audience engaged because it moves along quickly. At one point Andrew says to Melissa, "Mother said you were going to get married." She responds...
Because of the structure of the play, Gurney has the ability to introduce facts like Melissa's marriage and divorce without a contrived lead-in--and with humor. Although much time may elapse between letters during the play, Gurney keeps the audience well-informed of pertinent events. While it is difficult for a typical drama to relate sixty years in two hours, Gurney's style allows him to do so effectively...
Gurney exhibits a fine sense of humor throughout the rest of the play. He avoids falling into romantic over-sentimentality by interspersing humor with touching dialogue. For example, when Andrew and Melissa's fifty-year relationship finally involves its first instance of lovemaking, Melissa says, "We're two uptight old WASPs going at it like a sale at Brooks Brothers...
...audience sighing for the tenderness of a long romance and laughing from all the funny stories that come from that romance. In the performance I saw, Bacall and Kiley transformed the theater into an intimate setting, giving the audience a privileged glimpse into the private lives of Andrew and Melissa...
Although I have not seen Curtin and Herrmann or Heston and Smith (for obvious reasons), it seems hard to imagine either pair lousing up Gurney's script. Each of the four actors boasts extensive stage experience, and the roles of Andy and Melissa should pose no problem for them. In fact, it seemed that Kiley and Bacall enjoyed their roles, and they made the portrayal of Andy and Melissa seem effortless...