Getting the Play Up and Running

Della Cole as Katharine Hartgrove and Jon Kohler as Johnny Chastain in the original production of Letters From the Front, at Atlanta's 14th Street Playhouse, March 1991.

One of the advantages of a play is that it is always a work in progress.  The Letters From the Front that first opened at the 14th Street Playhouse in Atlanta, March 6, 1991, was very different from the production that has played to audiences around the world ever since. 

The original play centered around the character of Johnny Chastain, formerly America's favorite sitcom star but now on the skids.  It was set in his New York loft.  Unseen characters included Johnny's agent, Myron, his pregnant little sister, and a host of noisy neighbors.

The original set -- Johnny's New York loft (set designed by Guy Tuttle)

Johnny hires Katharine Hartgrove, a renowned writer of human interest stories, to help him fashion a comeback script based on war correspondence.  The fact that Johnny and Katharine have been dating for the past year only complicates the situation.  Running time for the original Letters From the Front was two and a half hours.

During the three week, 17 performance engagement at the 14th Street Playhouse, playwright/director Robert Rector had a chance to watch, listen and learn.  Overall, the play was very well received.   It was clear that the audience loved the concept and the themes, and found it emotionally powerful.  But it was also clear that there was a lot of work to be done.