Two stars of the Hollywood variety will light up the stage of Centralia’s historic Fox Theatre next week, as they bring A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” to life.
“What’s exciting is this is one night only. It won’t happen again, and it won’t happen anywhere else,” said Scott White, president of Historic Fox Theatre Restorations. “We want people in Lewis County to take pride in and enjoy this wonderful opportunity in theater.”
Actors Rita Moreno and Robert Culp will perform “Love Letters” at 8 p.m. June 6, a one-time-only production being staged to benefit the restoration of the Fox Theatre.
“It is so unique. It’s like nothing they’ve ever seen before,” Moreno said of the production in a telephone interview from Berkeley, Calif., on Friday. “It is going to absolutely engage (the audience) within minutes of the curtain going up. They’ll say ‘Oh my God, I’m so glad I came.’”
Moreno is the only woman to win the four biggest awards in show business — the Oscar (for film), the Emmy (for television), the Tony (for stage) and the Grammy (for recording artists). She and Culp have worked together only once before, in an episode of the television series “Trackdown” in 1959. Moreno said she can’t wait for the opportunity to work with Culp again.
“I can’t wait to do it. I only wish we could have three or four more nights,” she enthused. “I know we’re just going to love it.”
As you might imagine, “Love Letters” follows a couple through years of correspondence, from their early 20s until their 60s. It is a play director Ted Weiant has been doing for almost 20 years, and said the experience is never the same.
“What I love about the play, and I’ve probably directed over 250 couples, is I’ve never given the same acting note twice,” he said. “It keeps changing. Every couple brings a special magic.”
While it is certainly a coup to bring Hollywood legends of the caliber of Moreno and Culp to the Twin Cities, the real star of the night is the Fox Theatre itself.
“What makes it so special is that it’s going to have an economic and cultural impact on Centralia,” said associate producer Keion Marshall, New York. “This particular production will be an example for other historic theaters in the process of being revitalized.”
All proceeds from the “Love Letters” production will benefit Historic Fox Theatre Restorations. Tickets are still available, although they are selling well, according to White. Cost to attend the one-time-only, exclusive production ranges from $25 to $100.
“Even if we weren’t restoring the Fox Theatre, it would be worth seeing the play,” said White.
“I know in this economy, $25 is a commitment, $50 and $100 even more so,” White continued. “But we would hope people will take this opportunity to support (the Fox).”
“The performing arts have always been a beacon of hope,” Marshall said. “As people, we’ve always wanted an escape from our reality. Film, theater, whatever, you’re able to forget about what you’re going through.”
“The theater keeps us human. It involves us in a way a movie can’t involve us,” Weiant said. “When you go to the theater, something else happens to you. When you’re with another person and experience that cerebral, ethereal thing that can only happen in theater, you take that with you the rest of your life.
“Knowing the focus here is to restore a theater that has such importance to the community, we want to bring more people in,” Weiant continued. “We want to share their experience and let people know the value of it.”
“If nothing else, they’re helping to save the theater,” said Moreno. “And that’s what it’s really all about, ultimately.”
If You Go:
What: “Love Letters,” starring Rita Moreno and Robert Culp
When: 8 p.m., Saturday, June 6
Where: Fox Theatre, 119 S. Tower Ave., Centralia
Tickets: $100, $50 or $25; proceeds to benefit Historic Fox Theatre Restorations
Call: 880-8053
Kathy Hall: (360) 807-8226
