Dear John

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Rachel Lin’s (Law & Order: Organized Crime; NYTW 2050 Fellow) Dear John is the story of Lin’s own life – specifically, how her long-lost father found her on Facebook and began sending her messages. The messages grew into letters, and the two developed a unique correspondence. Lin wrote the play and portrays herself as the lone actress on stage, with Tara Elliott (Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods with Rattlestick Theater/New Georges) directing and Kalina Ko working as dramaturg.

Elliott’s staging is often quite clever, making use of the space in interesting ways. The use of actual letters Lin received adds a degree of authenticity to an already very personal piece, but having audience members come on stage to pick up the letters themselves is a strong choice of direction. It keeps the letters feeling fresh every time – and also provides an opportunity for Lin to change costumes. The projections onscreen (handled by designer Ein Kim) and roving spotlights (lighting designer Yang Yu) evokes images of a game show, making each letter-picking section feel like a miniature intermission – something that breaks up the play quite nicely.

Lin’s performance is similarly strong. She is funny, charming, and quite likeable onstage. Even when she has a nervous energy about her, she keeps the show moving along well, and her improvised moments are always endearing.

When reading each letter, Lin portrays her father as she imagines he might have been – a dapper secret agent, a stodgy businessman, or a crackpot technician. The costumes (by designer Phuong Nguyen), along with Lin’s performances of these characters, are always quite funny. A particularly memorable one is the letter from her father about finance, in which she plays up an imitation of her dad’s voice and expounds about the wisdom of a VHS tape about stock trading. The props (set & prop design by Zhuosi “Joyce” He) were also quite entertaining.

At the same time, Dear John often meanders about with no destination in mind. At just 90 minutes, the play feels too long. The basic structure of using the letters as anchor points is quite well done, but so much of the play is filled with the extraneous and often-uninteresting details of life working in retail and tech in the 2010s. Lin’s pontifications often feel a bit shallow – one gets the sense that there is more that could be said, if only the play would get out of its own way a bit more. There is a constant sense that the play is avoiding any real conflict. Such avoidance is understandable, given that the play is about real people – but it also means that the play is somewhat boring.

Dear John is overall a mixed production. The directing is excellent – creativity shines through in all the staging decisions, especially the letter sequences. Lin’s performance is as compelling as it could be, and her personality does a lot to make the piece more fun. However, even if the comedy usually lands well, there is little substance to the more dramatic moments. The play is not bad, it simply had very little going on. Excellent staging turns a mediocre script into a pleasant yet forgettable experience.

Dear John (through March 19, 2026)

HERE Arts Center, 145 6th Ave, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.here.org/shows/dear-john/

Running time: 90 minutes without an intermission