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Forbes
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘My First Ex-Husband': A Play About Relationships Gone Wrong And Finding The Courage To Flee
Jackie Hoffman stars with Veanne Cox, Andrea Navedo and Carolyn McCormick in My First Ex-Husband 'Love is an untamed force,' writes Paulo Coelho. 'When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.' Even when devastating, love can still be funny. A this-is-too-surreal-to-be-real kind of funny. In her new play, My First Ex Husband, Joy Behar delves into the rocky waters of relationships, love, sex and what leads people to get divorced. After spending hours interviewing an eclectic group of women over the course of twelve years, she found both humor and heart in their true stories. They share devastating, inspiring, poignant and funny reflections about the struggle to leave their marriages and give up what up they know. Even if their relationships are toxic, to begin anew is scary. The play features candid tales of infidelity, like the husband seeking his wife's blessing to have sex on the side. One recounted her survivalist ex's extreme frugality like using Entenmann's pie plates for hub caps or bringing cats into the house to heat up the place. Then there was the guy with an unrelenting and insatiable appetite for sex that could never be satisfied. Behar shaped the stories into monologues that are performed by a rotating cast, which currently includes Veanne Cox, Carolyn McCormick, Andrea Navedo and Jackie Hoffman. Directed by Randal Myler, the 80-minute production is playing Off Broadway at MMAC Theater. The actors read the monologues from a podium. For Emmy-nominated Hoffman, whose credits include Only Murders in the Building, Feud: Betty and Joan and a slew of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, On The Town, The Addams Family, Xanadu, Hairspray, and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, performing in the show is a true joy. And, she says, 'The joy is Joy Behar.' Plus after being in the show makes her value her husband even more. 'I've always appreciated my husband,' says Hoffman. 'But hearing these monologues put that appreciation into overdrive and made me appreciate him even more.' Jeryl Brunner: What went through your mind when you got word about your being in My First Ex-Husband? Jackie Hoffman: It seemed like a cool clique to be a part of. I'm among great actresses and comedians. And it seemed like an easy gig. I was wrong about that. Brunner: It is said that truth is stranger than fiction. And what surreal experiences these women have experienced. What do you wish you could say to them? Hoffman: One of the monologues that I do involves a woman who 'escaped' an oppressive culture. I'd congratulate her and tell her I admire her courage. In general, I'd congratulate all of these women for moving on Brunner: How would you describe My First Ex Husband? Hoffman: [The play contains] stories of marriage and divorce that will exhaust your emotions. With a lot of laughs. Brunner: You play so many great roles on television, film and in animated series. And there's all your incredible theater work. What keeps you coming back to the stage? Hoffman: The audiences keep me alive and on my toes. Particularly with this show. It's an active relationship with the audience and each audience is different. I can't phone it in. Since telling these stories, I've become more passionate about the women I'm portraying. They have their own kind of fire. My First Ex-Husband, written by Joy Behar, is currently playing at MMAC Theater
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Susan Lucci Reveals Unconventional Ritual She Still Follows as She Returns to Broadway (Exclusive)
Susan Lucci is excited to take the stage. The legendary actress is part of the second cast of My First Ex-Husband, a new comedy play from Joy Behar and directed by Randal Myler, now playing at the MMAC Theater in New York City. The play features a rotating lineup of luminaries from theater, television, and film, bringing fresh voices and perspectives to stories about the messy truths of love, marriage, and divorce, revealing the chaotic, funny, and often eye-opening realities of relationships. Speaking with PEOPLE about her role, the Emmy-winning actress, 78, says she's excited to be on stage in a comedy. "First of all, I love doing comedy and the material, I love the material. Joy Behar called and asked if I would do this. When I saw the material, I realized Joy and I were so on the same page. I thought, 'Of course I'm going to do this.' " "The material is so funny," she continued. "It's true material, too... They're stories written by individual women who have been in bad marriages. And I don't think they meant them necessarily to be funny. They are just true." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Related: Susan Lucci Reveals the 3 Foods She Eats Every Day Since Having 2 Heart Operations Lucci is no stranger to the stage, having been in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway in 1999. The idea of being back in front of a live audience is thrilling for the actress. "Performing live comes with its own set of excitement and involvement. The audiences gets engaged, and it's terrific. I think especially when you —well, anytime, but especially with comedy — anytime the audience gets engaged, it's really nice. You're in this together. The audience is there to laugh, and you're there to find the laughs. It's very fun to get the response from the audience." As for rituals, Lucci has one she's adopted as a rule and one she unconsciously developed. "I don't eat before I perform. That's always the case," she says. "And I love to eat, but I have no desire to before I go on stage, so that works out." "I found out a ritual I wasn't even aware of when I was doing Annie Get Your Gun," she continues. "There were some very quick changes backstage, and one involved changing my shoes and my top. There were two dressers there and when it came time, she asked me, 'Do you put your left shoe on first or your right shoe?' " Lucci continues, "I frankly had never thought of it before, but I thought, oh, oh, I could think I'm in the right business here. Okay, it's my left. I realized at the time then, I do put on my left shoe first. So I have continued that ritual." From February 26 to March 23, Lucci will appear alongside Judy Gold, Tonya Pinkins and Cathy Moriarty in My First Ex-Husband. Read the original article on People
