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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Tuesday, March 19, 2024

'Letters to Medford' gives audiences a history lesson

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"Letters to Medford" was full of modern witticisms.

Four rows of chairs line a modest, rectangular room packed tight with glass display cases, a towering ladder, a fireplace and -- above the mantle -- an indoor window, occasionally swinging open to reveal a hand or face. These close quarters greeted audience members of “Letters to Medford: A Play about the Future, According to the Past” as they tiptoed inside to claim their seats this past weekend. The venue, built in 1916 and the former home of Medford historical figure, Lydia Maria Child, a central character in “Letters to Medford” is -- like the play itself -- steeped in history. Informal, intimate and tied to the past, it was a perfectly fitting location.

Produced by the Two Roads Performance Project group, “Letters to Medford” is, in a sense, an endeavor begun over a century and a half ago. In the mid-1800s, Reverend Charles Brooks published “The History of the Town of Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1630-1855,” and within the pages of the history book he included a letter to the citizens of Medford in the year 2055. Inspired by his effort, the Medford Historical Society and Museum began to collect letters to the future from current students in the Medford school system. The interface of these letters, their similar and opposing themes, formed the basis of “Letters to Medford.”The result, adapted for the stage by Two Roads founder Kyna Hamill, is a lighthearted, surreal story: two teenaged students and a jumpy, nervous archivist named Adam (Geoffrey Van Wyck), meet three of the town’s most prominent ghosts -- Reverend Brooks (played by Matthew Arnold), the grand Dame of Medford (Nicole Howard) and Lydia Maria Child (Melissa Bergstrom).

The play begins with the ghosts reading snippets of their letters (genuine correspondence written during their lifetimes) aloud to the audience, their voices occasionally overlapping, so that key phrases stand out, momentarily juxtaposing against each other and then jumbling together once more. These readings, and the selections read from the contributions of local students, are without a doubt the most interesting part of the play. Full of personal reflections and captivating insights, these pieces draw the audience’s attention to the professed topic of the piece: the future.

In contrast, the rest of “Letters” -- the scripted dialogue, the cutesy plot -- feels a little flat. Thematically, “Letters to Medford” seeks to do grand things, and occasionally it overreaches. For instance, much of the conflict of the play focuses on the modern tendency to control history, and therefore constrict it. While these questions are certainly substantial, they seem to be at odds with the otherwise playful atmosphere of “Letters.” Heavy-handed overtones can’t help but distract audience members from the imaginary world of ghosts and games before them; in these awkward moments “Letters to Medford” feels more like a skit than a play.

However, it is important to keep in mind that instruction is, most likely, an intended goal of “Letters to Medford.” Unlike a play written for commercial profit and produced on a professional stage, “Letters to Medford” is the brainchild of a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and teaching of history. Thus, “Letter’s” more didactic tendencies can be forgiven. And really, what’s wrong with a little learning?

Best of all, “Letters to Medford” has a wonderful sense of humor that adds a zany flair to the rest of the show. Mainly poking fun at the mysterious jargon of modern teens, but with a few insider references -- coded to delight the Medford natives in the audience -- thrown in for good measure, these  jokes keeps “Letters” from taking itself too seriously.

A trip to Medford Historical Society’s headquarters should be on every Tufts student’s bucket list. And a night at “Letters to Medford” is a fun-loving, slightly silly way to learn more about the town’s history, virtually guaranteed to get audiences to crack a smile or two.

"Letters to Medford" will be performed Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Student tickets are $5.

Summary A night at “Letters to Medford” is a fun-loving, slightly silly way to learn more about the town’s history.
3 Stars