A pair of poets, in love with words, are sort of, possibly, in love with each other. Or not. That’s the theme of Dear Elizabeth, an epistolary play by Sarah Ruhl. Christina Casano directs the two-character play, now being staged by Remy Bumppo Theatre, in which the two writers carry on a correspondence with occasional meetings over three decades. The full title of the play is Dear Elizabeth: A Portrait in Letters from Elizabeth Bishop to Robert Lowell and Back Again.
The play is based on a real-life relationship between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, played by Leah Karpel and Christopher Sheard. This 20th century relationship is poignantly dramatized for the stage by Ruhl from the actual correspondence of the two writers from 1947 to !977. But this is not like some other epistolary or correspondence-based plays you may have seen, in which two actors sit next to each other and read letters. Ruhl’s script, dramatized and fully staged, creates a portrait of a relationship that is always rooted in mutual love of the written word and based on a connection that remains platonic even though it occasionally seems to verge on the romantic.
The play is staged with the two writers’ offices on opposite sides of the stage and an abstractly designed central stage area where other action takes place. (Scenic design by Catalina Niño with projections by John Boesche and lighting design by Maximo Grano De Oro.)
When the pair begin corresponding, their letters are formal, beginning Dear Miss Bishop and Dear Mr. Lowell. But as they exchange drafts of their latest poems and comments upon the work, they become closer; poetry critics become poetry friends and then, affectionate friends. Each describes the other as “my best friend.” They wrote more than 800 pages of letters to each other.
Bishop lives a nomadic life, living in Washington and Key West and in 1951, moving to Brazil where she meets and lives with her great love, architect Lota (Maria Carlota "Lota" Costallat de Macedo Soares). Lowell marries writer Elizabeth Hardwick and they have a child, upon whom Lowell dotes. (They’re divorced during these years and Lowell remarries.) There is much more to their lives than is reflected in their letters—Lowell’s political activism in the Vietnam era, for instance.
Throughout these years, Bishop and Lowell meet occasionally, and each often invites the other to visit wherever they were living. Sheard is a joyous and outspoken Lowell, while Karpel is more subdued as Bishop, just as his letters are more confessional and hers are more emotionally subdued. They maintain a steady relationship through these letters, even as their lives change. (Both Bishop and Lowell suffered from various health problems, including mental illness and alcoholism, although these are not emphasized in the play.)
Ruhl’s play is based on the correspondence of Bishop and Lowell, compiled in the 2008 book Words in Air: the Complete Correspondence between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. She notes, in the preface to her script, that a friend gave her the book while she was pregnant with twins and forced to be on bed rest. She had been interested in Bishop’s work and now became obsessed with Lowell and their relationship. “I could not put the letters down,” she says. “I hungered to hear them read aloud.”
Casano’s direction is careful—and respectful of the nature of poets—and the letters of two mid-century writers come alive as a story of the importance of friendship. Christopher Kriz is responsible for original music and sound design. Costumes are by Kotryno Hilko. Jean E. Compton is stage manager.
Sarah Ruhl’s play deserves to be viewed as a dramatic script, rather than a collection of letters. You may be familiar with A.R. Gurney’s play Love Letters (1988), which has been performed dozens of times on- and off-Broadway and in theaters nationwide. It’s particularly popular for benefits and other events, because well-known readers can perform the two roles with little preparation and no line memorization. The two characters simply sit side by side and read letters.
Ruhl is also the author of Becky Nurse of Salem by Shattered Globe Theatre, now also playing at Theater Wit.
Dear Elizabeth by Remy Bumppo Theater continues through November 17 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Running time is 100 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are $36-$55 for performances Thursday-Sunday.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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