Sisterhood

We talk about sisterhood a lot at Love, Loss, and What I Wore.   It is not a term we use lightly.  Although we didn't know it at the time, during the first day of rehearsals, the foundation of the sisterhood was defined.  There were many connections between the ladies in the room.  Several had worked with Nora Ephron or Delia Ephron.  Rosie O'Donnell and Delia had even been neighbors living in the same building in Manhattan.   But most of the cast had never even met one another.

Original Cast

It was on that day that we saw the first of many lifelong friendships built.  Natasha Lyonne was working through one of her stories and in response to a question, Rosie O'Donnell and Tyne Daly jumped in with several personal stories from their own lives. By the time we started tech rehearsals, everyone in the room was sharing what books we were reading and Samantha Bee was telling us all how to make homemade marshmallows.  This kind of bonding continues with each cast and extends far beyond the time the actors and company members spend at the Westside Theatre.

June Cast

At the first rehearsal for our current cast, we held the traditional monthly meet and greet for the company, and the actors were scheduled to have an hour and a half break and rather than leaving the building for personal time or running errands, the entire cast -- Penny Fuller, Rachael Harris, Diane Neal, Sherri Shepherd and Cobie Smulders -- spent the break in the upstairs lobby of the Westside Theatre chatting and getting to know each other.

November Cast

Our November cast, Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy DeVito, Capathia Jenkins, Rhea Perlman, and Rita Wilson are in constant contact via e-mail. When Kristin was honored by the Geffen earlier this year it was Rita who presented the award to her. Tyne Daly has a poker game that Natasha Lyonne has been a regular guest at. We have had many fun outings to support each other - including a large turn out for Tyne's cabaret at Feinstein's and to support Kristin Chenoweth and Katie Finneran in Promises, Promises.

Many of the actors have returned to the show several times -- Natasha Lyonne and Katie Finneran have performed the show the most, closely followed by Lucy DeVito, Capathia Jenkins, and Carol Kane, among the 43 and growing company of actors. When the ladies return to the show or head out to the Los Angeles production at the Geffen Playhouse, they share stories about their previous casts while building relationships with a new cast. Some legendary tales of backstage antics and onstage mishaps are passed between casts by the crew (most of whom have been with the show for the entire run).

There is something magical about the stories being told that creates a exceptional bond between the women (and men) working on the show. It is visibly evident when the ladies are on stage, and we gladly share this with each audience.  Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a great play, but it is the sisterhood that helps make the show such a great experience!

Here is a peek backstage at Love, Loss, and What I Wore -- certainly you can see the fun we have!