Written and directed by John Handscombe, the 100 Year Old Letter is an hour-long, offbeat drama. It gives us a glimpse of friendship, faith groups and war through a letter of apology which was supposed to be exchanged in 1916 between two women from the prominent South-London society.
Christabel Mennell writes an undelivered letter to Katie Marsh’s residence in Sydenham. The house is converted into a block of flats a hundred years later and the letter gets discovered by a middle-aged white couple. Along with their two friends, the couple speculate what Christabel could possibly have regretted. The letter is the inanimate protagonist. The play begins with preliminary information about the letter, leading to a bunch of putative stories weaved by the actors about it. This part of the play has been both cleverly written and was brilliantly executed. The actors use minimal props such as muslin scarves, woollen wraps, hats and neckties to enact different characters and events from both Christabel and Katie’s lives. For a production to achieve this non-linear narrative that oscillates between the past and the present, with no special backdrops and nominal accessories is certainly an impressive feat. Equally notable is how the female characters embodied male roles and vice-versa breaking gendered stereotypes.
Whilst favouring a didactic attempt on Quaker history, The 100 Year Old Letter still had its sporadic, sparkling moments. If you won’t mind spending a weekend afternoon on a well-rehearsed and finely acted fringe production, give it a go!
Comments