The Last of the Love Letters

 The Last of the Love Letters
Atlantic Theater Company
Linda Gross Theater
August 28, 2021 

Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

When you lose a love, a part of you goes with them.  The part that believed and came alive has a hard time letting go.  In The Last of the Love Letters, playwright Ngozi Anyanwu explores that loss to an extreme.  When it is revealed that the loss these characters experiences is of the creative self, not of someone separate, the extent to which they go does not seem the least bit excessive.

Playwright Ngozi Anyanwu
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

When you enter the theater, the character of You (played by Ngozi Anyanwu) is on stage, alone, in her bedroom, deep in thought, writing and reading.  As the house lights dim, she puts on music, a vinyl record, and throws herself on the bed.  When the song concludes, she sits up and begins to tell of how hard it was to make the decision to walk away from her love.  She then realizes the opposite.  It was actually easy because of how she had to become someone else in order to receive the love she craved.  She goes back and forth from certainty to indecision.  She has the last word and is ready to leave, then returns with another unanswerable questions.  She is torn.

Daniel J. Watts
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

The set spins and lights change, and we find the character of You No. 2 (played by Daniel J. Watts) in his bed.  He sits up and tries to find the most charming way to begin.  He too has been left behind by his love.  He too waivers between understanding and confusion.  The lights flash and the character of Person (played by Xavier Scott Evans) enters.  He gives You No. 2 medication, then exits abruptly.  We question where we are and how far off the deep end You No. 2 has fallen because of his loss.  He makes a safe place for himself, gets calmer, and tells us more.  It does not pacify the severity of the situation.  Person re-enters and finds a recording that You No. 2 made early on in his crisis.  We listen.  We understand why the level of loss is so great.

Ms. Anyanwu’s writing is provocative and humorous.  The audience identifies with what the characters are saying and feeling.  Her performance as You is genuine and personable.  She is welcoming and makes it comfortable to enter on the journey.  Daniel J. Watts charismatically picks up the journey as You No. 2.  The audience willingly follows him on his deep decline.  There is no going back as he slides into darkness. These two performances are vividly truthful and highly engaging.  The audience fully submits to the suspension of reality and submerges in Ms. Anyanwu’s strong themes and focused intention.

The Last of the Love Letters is a powerful piece of theatre for our newly established post-pandemic time.  The production is skillfully directed by Patricia McGregor.  It is playing at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater through September 26.    

Domenick Danza