Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall

Come and see letters brought to life, and support an important cause in the process

I am very pleased to announce that on 28th October 2022, a surprise line-up of talented performers will be breathing life into letters at the Royal Albert Hall in London, for what will be our third Letters Live show in this iconic venue.

For the uninitiated, put very simply: Letters Live is a show in which letters are read aloud on stage. But it’s so much more than that, and mere words often fail to adequately describe it. All you need to know is that each show is unique: a previously unridden rollercoaster of emotions that will take you to all manner of moments and places, through letters and through music, by a diverse and starry cast that remains nameless until the very second they set foot on the stage. The video above will give you a tiny slice of what to expect.

So I can’t get into the specifics, but I can guarantee this show will be wonderful. And because you, a person of superior taste and judgement, have chosen to subscribe to this newsletter, I’m giving you access to the pre-sale tickets that will be available tomorrow morning. To hopefully get your hands on them—there are a very limited number and they always go quickly—head over to the Royal Albert Hall website at 10am GMT tomorrow (Weds, 2nd March), press FIND TICKETS near the top, enter the code LETTERS2022, and cross your fingers.

And don’t worry. If life gets in the way and you miss out, tickets will go on general sale at 10am GMT on Thursday 3rd March. Please also know that for this show we are partnering with our friends at Choose Love, whose tireless work with refugees across the globe has never been more vital. Not only will you be purchasing a ticket to an event unlike any other, but some of that money will go to an amazing charity which is about to be needed more than ever. Head to their website and have a look around.

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He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.

Before I go, it’s World Compliment Day, so I am duty-bound to send to you, probably not for the first time, the following anecdote of note. May all your letters be eaten.

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Terry Gross: Can you share some of your favourite comments from readers that you’ve gotten over the years?

Maurice Sendak: Oh, there’s so many. Can I give you just one that I really like? It was from a little boy. He sent me a charming card with a little drawing. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters—sometimes very hastily—but this one I lingered over. I sent him a postcard and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim, I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.

Fresh Air
NPR
April 1986