“Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” written by sisters Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron, based on the book by Ilene Beckerman and directed by Jenny Sullivan, is presented as an intimate reading by five incredibly talented actresses. Leading the pack is the sweet Carol Kane, followed by the sultry Caroline Aaron, wonderful Rita Wilson, sassy and hysterical Tracee Ellis Ross and last, but certainly not least, the phenomenal Natasha Lyonne. They share “an intimate collection of stories” centered around clothes they wore. They talk about the Madonna phase, wearing black, having a closet full of clothes and having nothing to wear, the obnoxious big purse in which we carry our lives yet can’t seem to find a thing, shoes and boots and the memories built around the fact that accessories make being a girl so much fun.

My favorite story is shared by Rita Wilson when her character talks about her very brief phase with the “paper dress.” She decides to wear this paper dress to her friend’s dinner party. Sitting at the dinner table on her friend’s newly upholstered chairs, she gets her period. She stands up and her friend sees the stain of blood. Wilson impersonates her friend’s reaction to the stain: slow-motion hysteria. It was hilarious.

Another touching story is about a young girl who loves to wear short skirts and boots. She loves the combination and feels great in them, so she buys a whole bunch of skirts to wear with her favorite boots. She wears them confidently, freely. One horrifying day she is raped, and suddenly the mini-skirts she once loved to wear, that she felt so comfortable in, no longer feel safe. She gathers all her minis and donates them, but she holds on to her favorite boots. Despite the abhorrent circumstance, she simply cannot bear to get rid of her cherished boots.

This reading has a wonderful mix of heartfelt and funny anecdotes. This is the show you see with your closest girlfriend(s) to have a good laugh and celebrate how fun and how lucky we are to be girls!

The production is performed by a rotating cast of five actors, who perform in four-week cycles. The new cast starts June 6.



The Geffen Playhouse is located at 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, visit geffenplayhouse.com.