Letters Reviews
It’s a very “impressive…story that takes place simultaneously in Canada and Europe…that has a worldwide scope, but is still a very personal story.”
- Scott Douglas, Manitoba Association of Playwrights
“I have never been to a Fringe show before, save for outdoor performances, so my experience was doubly special: Not only was I treated to my very first Fringe play, but it also happened to be a very good one. Letters is a story we can all understand; a story about a country whose every citizen, in their own way, wanted to do the right thing in the face of incomprehensible cruelty. Some were called to serve, some stayed behind and tried to keep things running, to maintain civility and normalcy. It is a story that we have all heard before, perhaps from grandparents or even great-grandparents, about the time when Canada learned that silence means complicity and when diplomacy will not work, we need to be willing to risk everything to stand up for what is right.
Set near the tail-end of WWII, Letters is the story of a family that must come to grips with the grim reality of being torn apart by war, uncertain if they will ever be whole again. Told through the letters that are written back and forth, brought to life by truly stirring performances of the talented cast, and made all the more poignant by current events. Be sure to see it as this Fringe season comes to a close – and be sure to bring tissues. There is only one more performance: Sunday, July 28th at 12:00PM, in Portage Place (3rd floor). While you’re there, reminded of all the times you have heard “Never Again” and “Lest We Forget”, please keep in mind that Never Again Is Now and this is not only a historical play but also a cautionary tale.”
Alicia Benson Jenny Review
"Letters" is a beautifully done play. It moved me to tears, gently reminding me of the countless sacrifices that were made by so many courageous people in World War 2. Thank you, Parachuting Camel, for sharing this story with us. God bless!
Shannon Loewen
“Ken Burns meets Frank Capra in this 45-minute, polished war-time drama with the look and feel of It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Wendy King-Winnpeg Free Press
“Letters takes place on two continents during the Second World War. While it follows Winnipegger Paul Bailey’s war experiences, it highlights the impact of the war on his family, friends, and fellow soldiers. Told through letters, separated in time between the minimum of two months it takes for them to be delivered and the other two-month minimum for their response to be returned, the play uses these spaces of time to punctuate changes in emotions and circumstances for every character.
Emotions are intense throughout the play, ranging for despair to depression to anger to fear to acceptance and gratitude. Each actor understands his or her character’s emotions and projects them – and the changes to them – clearly. The director, Jessina Cheffins, well-known in the Winnipeg theatre scene, has adeptly captured these emotions in her efficient and effective staging.
Paul Bailey’s young daughter, Dorothy, plays an innocent foil to the adult fears, only vaguely aware of what her father is actually experiencing in the war. Isabel Haderer, who has played this character recently in a radio production, deftly modulates her journey from innocence to awareness.
I cried. I don’t generally cry at the theatre, so this surprised me. More than that, it spoke of the effectiveness of the cast and crew in bringing the realities of this play onto the stage.”
Sharon Hamilton Jenny Review