Letters Live Review

A bunch of actors reading letters might sound boring but trust me it was an outstanding event with a line-up of immensely talented actors such as: Benedict Cumberbatch, Louise Brealey (Sherlock co- star), Tobey Jones, Tom Hiddleston, and Juliet Stevenson. The event was held on the 3^rd February Freemasons hall, Covent Garden London. The show boasted of exquisite and captivating performances. The actors proceeded to read letters from famous people in the public eye and the correspondence from their recipients. This gave the audience personal insight into the lives of people that you wouldn't otherwise have access to. It was a rather unusual experience; I have never felt so connected to complete strangers.

Juliet Stevenson read a letter from Janice Joplin to her parents; the letter echoed the voice of a naïve young girl who shares the hype of success by exposing the empty shallowness that precedes it. Benedict Cumberbatch read Kurt Cobain’s suicide letter; it felt like he had been resurrected. You could empathise with the pain and desperation that had poisoned his soul. The letter was a desperate plea for support and a hope for something better. Cumberbatch recited the letter, echoing Cobain’s accent which was not only chilling but also powerfully moving. Tobey jones read a letter from Tom Hughes to his son which was inevitably humorous and witty as he described adults as being grownup children. Tom Hiddleston did a remarkable impersonation of Iggy Pop and Abraham Lincoln. All the actors acted as mediators from past to present; they created a channel that was deeply personal. Brealey and Cumberbatch read a love story in letters which was soppy at times, yet moving. It was about a woman named Bessie Moire during world war two and her lover Chris Barker (who she hadn't even met) expressing their undeniable love; through their letters their love was able to grow and blossom.

If literature isn't really your thing I can assure it was far from boring. The two hour show was so worth it. Not only was the venue set in an intimate setting doused in history, dripping in opulence and magnificence…………but Sherlock Holmes himself was there in the flesh. Musical entertainment was taken care of by Tom Odell. He introduced various sections of the show through his performances of music letters through song. His collaboration with a very female cellist was breath-taking and her solo performance of a letter through music written to a conductor’s student sounded haunting and stirred feelings of fear and obsession. What more could you ask for? The show definitely had variety!

I was terribly nostalgic while watching various performances. I remembered writing letters to my friends from my old home town and my cousins in Jamaica. There’s something terribly intimate when writing a letter. You take more time to consider condensing your life story, pouring out your feelings to the recipient. The whole process of letter writing is deeply touching. You seal the letter which indicates how private it is. It’s for that person on the other side’s eyes only. Sealing the letter represents the close bond you share with that close family member or friend. It’s exciting and stressful awaiting a reply as you watch the postman deliver the long overdue response. You tear it open and await the answer inside. Personally, I love to keep cards, postcards and letters from the past. The hand written messages are all deeply personal. When rereading them, each letter extends a snippet of what’s special in the development and demise of a relationship. Rereading old diary entries from my angst-ridden teenage years incites old feelings of fear and uncertainty. We take for the epistolary format for granted. They create a deep picture and impression of a person.

What a privilege it is to be allowed access into a person’s life. Fascinating. It is a shame that letter writing is considered to be old-fashioned. We no longer have time to sit down and tell someone how we really feel.  Instead feelings have been removed from keyboard to screen. This creates a barrier that causes us to isolate ourselves from one another. We don’t really get to know people. We’re all constantly rushing back and forth between typo ridden and careless text messages. This is why the epistolary format will always be the key that unlocks the door into pain, humour, love and loss. It creates inspiring artefacts of the human condition and there’s no better way to document this. To think that all this can be achieved simply with the everlasting power of a handwritten letter. Overall, the show was heart-warming, candid, intrusive, insightful and thoughtful. I have decided to share a letter below that I received from my late cousin when I was a child some years ago. I hope this will touch you as much as this has touched me.