Review by Brad Balfour
Play: “My First Ex-Husband”
Writer: Joy Behar
Director: Randal Myler
Cast: Judy Gold, Susan Lucci, Cathy Moriarty, Tonya Pinkins
Where: MMAC Theater
248 W 60th St,
(between Amsterdam & West End Avenues)
With the Off-Broadway world premiere of “My First Ex-Husband” — a new show created by comedienne Joy Behar — officially open at MMAC Theater, Behar herself led the first cast of comedic legends. Rounding out the quartet from February 4th through the 23rd, were Susie Essman, Tovah Feldshuh, and Adrienne C. Moore. Garnering mainly good reviews, that show was only the start of what Behar and her producers hope will be an ongoing series of varying monthly casts.
Given the title “My First Ex-Husband,” co-host of TV’s “The View” crafted its eight monologues based on interviews with a diverse group of divorcées. The 90-minute production, directed by Randal Myler, features a rotating lineup of stars to explore the messy truths about love, sex, and marriage.
Though I hadn’t seen that cast, the second set, featured award-winning comedienne Judy Gold, Emmy Award winner Susan Lucci, Oscar nominated Cathy Moriarty and Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins effectively performed these funny set pieces. Running from February 26 to March 23, they performed from podiums on which the scripts were placed. Each cast member had to quickly adapt and add their own thespian touches for character development, or offer their own responses to the material.
Photo: Brad Balfour
Though some of the stories are uneven, the comedic touches added to the show made the stories something more than mere reportage. Sadly, as Behar noted in a recorded introduction, these stories are from the female partner since the men were less than willing to speak to their bad behavior.
The boorish and sometimes threatening actions these women had to put up were at times legally actionable. Fortunately, in the case of these tales, no one had been so savagely abused that the show was more about tragedy than comedy. Given that it edges toward some really bad behavior, sometimes on both parties’ part, the monologues vary in quality and impact. But ultimately, Behar did a good job in encapsulating some of the strange but true situations that led to dissolutions of what started out as supposedly happy connections.
Though some of the pieces are more like stand-up routines rather than more fully realized mono-logues, they are eerily familiar. Of the eight, the one about a middle-aged woman grappling with a divorce –– not for lack of attention but for the husband’s constant demands to get it on — is almost too much. It stretches credibility for the audience with joke after joke about the concept. Granted, this kind of material is Behar’s forte, but there’s only so much talk of pumping and bumping that needs to be said.
Nonetheless, the audience could relate to the show overall. Whether coupled, committed, or changing course, all relationships are complicated — and usually relatable. This material resonates with anyone who has navigated the turbulent, often troubled and sometimes provocative turns of relationships. And that’s pretty much almost everyone. “My First Ex-Husband” appeals to anyone who has ever been in a relationship and survived.
Every four weeks, a rotating cast of stars from theatre, television and film join the show, bringing their unique personalities to tell these tales. Coming up next –– starting March 26th through April 20th –– Veanne Cox, Jackie Hoffman, Talia Balsam and Andrea Navedo are lined up (as of this time) to perform the monologues again. And given how well this team performed, I’m looking forward to seeing how the next quartet tackle this material.
For more info, go to: https://www.myfirstexhusband.com