Alexandra Palace Theatre, 2018

On the evening of December 4th, having sold out shows in Los Angeles, New York, Hay on Wye, Venice and London, Letters Live closed 2018 in spectacular style with a one-off performance in London’s Oldest New Theatre.

Opened in 1875, Alexandra Palace Theatre was a home for spectacle and wonder. A marvel of Victorian engineering, its stage allowed actors to disappear and fly. Now, after 80 years of slumber, something’s stirring at Ally Pally.

The show had an all-star cast consisting of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Joely Richardson, Alison Steadman, Louise Brealey, Celia Imrie, Clarke Peters, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jordan Stephens, Simon Callow and Paul Ryan, with musical performances from Tom Odell.

Act 1 opened with Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reading a letter of her own, penned in 2007 as part of an anthology of new love letters entitled Four Letter Word. Chiwetel Ejiofor made his Letters Live debut reading a letter from Barack Obama to his daughters speaking of his pride for them. His final letter of the show was from John Steinbeck, delivering a timely commentary on the abundance of consumption. Also to take to the stage was Letters Live newcomer Joely Richardson, who read letters by Laura Dern, Paris Lees and Katherine Mansfield.

Tom Odell performed music throughout the evening and closed the show with the festive classic, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

The night was in aid of Crisis at Christmas, ensuring homeless people across the country have a place to go and a meal to eat this Christmas. The donations made through this event enabled the charity to provide people with a Christmas dinner, a bed for the night, a chance to shower, freshen up and get clean clothes, a health check and treatment from a doctor, optician and dentist, expert help with mental health and addiction problems, advice on housing, employment and benefits, and a way out of homelessness for good through Crisis’ year-round training, education and support.