María Irene Fornés’ Letters from Cuba is a play about the connection between two siblings living in different worlds: Luis in Cuba and Fran in New York. Instead of traditional on-stage action, Fornés centers the play around their letters. This choice might seem unusual for a play, but it creates a unique and powerful experience for the audience.

Fornés’ decision to focus on letters makes sense regarding the play’s themes. The siblings are physically separated, and letters are their only way to connect. Using letters as the primary form of storytelling lets us get inside their heads raw and personally. Fornés was interested in showing how people express their feelings and hold on to each other despite distance.

Focusing on these written exchanges, Fornés captures the pain of separation. The characters take time to write and try to reach the other person, demonstrating the emotional weight of being apart. The audience feels the longing and tension between them. 

As an audience member, you feel like you’re eavesdropping on something intensely private. Reading or hearing someone’s letters is like looking into their soul. Because the play doesn’t rely on significant dramatic events, the audience can focus entirely on the emotions and relationships at the story’s heart.

Without much physical action, the letters drive the play’s movement. They’re like little windows into the characters’ lives, showing us who they are and how they see the world. Luis’s letters, for instance, reveal his love for Cuba, struggles, and poetic way of thinking. For example, in the play, Fornés writes, “It is a way of resting when the sun is unbearable and returning to work when the heat relents. Our workday starts at 8 A.M. and again at 6 P.M”, (Fornés,9) Fran’s letters show her focus on her career and guilt about leaving her brother behind. These exchanges highlight the contrast between their worlds. 

The letters also subtlety create tension and drama. Through their words, we see the push and pull of their relationship: Fran misses Sarah and wants her to come home, while Sarah is torn between her love for her brother and her need to pursue her own life. This emotional conflict keeps the story moving, even if nothing big happens on stage.

Fornés doesn’t just stick to letters. She uses other forms of expression, like poetry and storytelling, to give the characters more depth. Each medium gives us a better sense of who Fran and Luis are as individuals. Luis’s poetic language shows his sensitivity and creativity, while Fran’s more straightforward tone reflects her practicality and ambition.

Combining these mediums, Fornés gives the play a rich, layered feel. It’s not just about what the characters say to each other but how they say it. This mix of styles also reflects the fragmented nature of their relationship. They are close, but they live in entirely different worlds.

On stage, Letters from Cuba would likely feel simple and intimate. The letters could be read aloud, with the actors’ delivery bringing out all the emotion and subtext in the words. Or some directors might also use creative elements, like projecting the letters on the stage or adding music and sound effects to reflect the two settings. The staging might keep the characters physically apart, emphasizing their separation, but their words would create a connection that bridges that distance.

In conclusion, Fornés’ choice to center Letters from Cuba on letters instead of action makes the play deeply satisfying. The letters closely examine the characters’ lives, showing their hopes, struggles, and the bond they share despite being worlds apart. Fornés uses this quiet, reflective storytelling to explore themes of love, separation, and identity personally and universally.