Review: DEAR ELIZABETH, Theatro Technis

"I wish you weren't so far away" says Robert Rowell to Elizabeth Bishop in the return of Gate Theatre's 2019 production of Dear Elizabeth. Staged at Theatro Technis now, Ellen McDougall's concept for Sara Ruhl's play is still the main attraction - rather than the actual plot. Each night, a pair of actors who haven't read the script and don't know much about the contents of the show go on a treasure hunt reading Bishop and Rowell's letters.

As they follow the clues, the poets' platonic relationship unfolds. The actors' tentativeness is delightful as they dive into the poets' intimacy for the first time, and the piece becomes a love letter to live performance, poetry, and love itself - which might, after all, be the same thing at this point.

The innocence of their approach coats the subject matter with genuine open-heartedness, and as they get to know their characters - and one another - an exploration of human nature and the sentimental sphere kicks off. The audience watches as Bishop and Lowell grow closer along with their performers.

Their silences and pauses crystallise their words mid-air while they gauge whether or not their partner might have different directions in their script. The dynamic between the two is bound to change nightly. At our performance, Martins Imhangbe and Roberta Livingston brought the freshness of youth and irony to the table, but one wonders what the story would feel like with same-gender couples or a difference in age altering the energy in the room.

Joe Nicholls's sound design acts as subtle train tracks that steer the reception of the play in the right direction. His compositions come in quietly, shaping the romantic side of the letters and instilling sobriety in the others. The themes of Lowell's mental health keeps resurfacing alongside Bishops' travels and distance from him, while cornflake parties are thrown and blow-up Toucans live a happy life propped on fake plants.

Addiction, illness, relationships, and the longing to create works of art feature prominently in their exchanges. Their awards and commendations establish their presence on the American literary scene, gingerly introducing them as two of the greatest poets of the 20th Century while their missive and actions keep them grounded.

The production remains a remarkably curious one, a sweet and joyous ode to having a connection. The protagonists, the actors, and the crowd all meet as strangers and leave as cohorts after 90 soul-stirring and uniquely surprising minutes.

Dear Elizabeth runs at Theatro Technis until 18 September.

Photo credit: Mark Senior

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