‘Love Letters’ With Mercedes Ruehl And Harris Yulin

On Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, Suffolk Theater will present Academy Award winner Mercedes Ruehl and Harris Yulin starring in a production of “Love Letters,” written by A.R. Gurney, directed by Harris Yulin, and produced by Josh Gladstone. Shows are at 8 p.m. on July 9 and 3 p.m. on July 10.

A.R. Gurney’s internationally acclaimed stage hit, “Love Letters,” is a heart-warming, poignant play about two people who write letters to each other over a period of 50 years. Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, both born to wealth and position, are childhood friends whose lifelong correspondence begins with birthday party thank-you notes and summer camp postcards. Andy is a serious, down-to-earth attorney. Melissa is a lively, free-spirited artist. But these two opposites have a definite attraction. Poignant, romantic and bittersweet, their correspondence follows a path of boarding schools, marriage, children, divorce and missed opportunities. It’s the life journey of two soul mates — an evocative, touching, frequently funny but always telling pair of character studies in which what is implied is as revealing and meaningful as what is actually written down. Directed by Harris Yulin, the show will feature Mercedes Ruehl as Melissa Gardner and Harris Yulin as Andrew Makepeace Lad III. The runtime for the show will be 90 minutes.

Mercedes Ruehl has appeared in several films, including “The Fisher King” (Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Los Angeles and Chicago Film Critics Association Awards), “Married to the Mob,” “The Warriors,” “Heartburn” and many others. She has been seen on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Lost in Younkers “(Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Helen Hayes Awards), “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” (Outer Critics Circle Award, Tony nomination), “The Rose Tattoo,” and in many Off-Broadway and television shows.

Harris Yulin made his New York stage debut in 1963 in James Saunders’s “Next Time I’ll Sing To You,” with James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons at the Phoenix Theatre. Many plays, Broadway, off-Broadway and elsewhere followed. Recent stage appearances include “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” “Death of a Salesman” and Claudius in “Hamlet.” He has also appeared in many films and on several television series as well. He has taught, acted and directed at the Juilliard School for 10 years.

This is The Suffolk’s first venture into dramatic theater, adding to the diversity of its programming. “I am thrilled to welcome in this production and have the opportunity to present these renowned artists on our stage,” said the theater’s executive director, Gary Hygom. “This show will stand out as something really new and different for our audiences; and as a performing arts center, it’s imperative that we present a variety of performances and be a home for high-caliber entertainment that appeals to all different people. This will really be an unforgettable one.”

Tickets for “Love Letters” are $55 to $65, at suffolktheater.com. Suffolk Theater is at 118 East Main Street, Riverhead.