The Last Word

I’m doing a play! It’s called “The Last Word”, and it’s by the gifted Writer/Producer Jan Miller Corran. This will be the play’s world premiere at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA, running from Nov 7 – 17.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be in this production… and how much I needed to do this play. As an actor, I’ve learned that projects come into my life for a reason, whether it’s for me to resolve a current issue in life, or to understand what has happened in the past. So when I read a script and start to feel goosebumps about a character or a project, I have learned to take the leap and say yes. That’s what happened when Jan Miller Corran sent this new play to me. Reading it through the first time, I literally got goosebumps. I was riveted. I cried, I laughed, and I was just was so moved by the profound truths of the material and the characters. I already knew this woman “Jillian,” and knew that I wanted to be the one to bring her to life. So… I said yes.

I have been having a blast. I love doing theater! But I haven’t had a chance to do it for a long time. When you’re a working actor, saying yes to doing a play is a luxury. It normally doesn’t pay the bills, so you do it because you love the craft, or the people, or the message. When I read “The Last Word”, I had to say yes because all three of those boxes were checked. I am so honored to work with the amazing writer/producer Jan Miller Corran and her producing partner LeeAnne Pronitis-Matusek, our brilliant Director Kate Johnston, and my stellar castmates John Kapelos Page (who also is in the #CrosswordsMysteries movies with me!), #IsabellaHoffman, Carole Ita White, and Tom Katsis. And, to have the world premiere at the Garry Marshall Theater, with all of its history, is a dream come true.

But the play’s message is what moves me most. I have loved and lost many loved ones in my life by now, and each time it guts me and takes me through all the emotional “what ifs”. I always wish I could have just one more phone call. One more chance to hold them. To ask questions. To say everything, even if the truth hurts, so we could celebrate the good, clean up the messy bits, and move on. Corran’s play does that in a way that that is funny, real, and heart-breakingly honest.

The truth of this play will “haunt” audiences (literally!) long after they leave the theater. It’s a lesson on how to truly “Bless and Release.” It’s a huge reminder to each of us about how important it is to honor and cherish each moment we have with our loved ones, so that there are no regrets later. As Jillian says in the play, “In death there are no reasons not to tell the truth. We are here on this earth for such a short time, but we create memories that will last to eternity. Until death do us part… and beyond.”