It's not every day that you get to see your governor and first lady perform on stage, and even rarer for such an event to be a dramatic piece, and not a political skit. And that's exactly why Carla Markell's idea to stage a reading of the two-person play Love Letters with her husband, Delaware's Governor Jack Markell, was such a great fundraising idea. Who wouldn't want to see that? The 80-minute reading of 50 years of letters between the fictional Melissa and Andrew was mesmerizing -- the novelty wore off quickly, and the characters came to life. The fundraiser included performance samplings from the Totally Awesome Players, Barbara Willhide of the Ingelside Retirement Community Playwriting Residency, and Dan Jones of the Delaware Young Playwrights Festival.
This was a special one-night event, but Love Letters will be returning to the Delaware Theatre Company next fall, starring Michael Learned and Ralph Waite (best known as Olivia and John Walton of TV's "The Waltons"). For more information on upcoming shows, programs, and events, see delawaretheatre.org.