GH's Adrienne Barbeau (Suzanne) talks about hubby Billy Van Zandt's Off-Broadway play, You've Got Hate Mail.
"I'm not being biased when I say this, well, maybe I am [laughs] but it is an outrageously funny comedy," beams Barbeau of the latest literary effort from her husband and his writing partner, Jane Milmore, now playing at The Triad Theatre in New York. "It's the story of the break up of a marriage, as told through e-mail. It's really the electronic age's answer to Love Letters. It kicks off when the husband inadvertently sends an e-mail meant for his mistress to his wife, and we're off and running [laughs]. It's five actors on-stage in front of their computers reading their e-mails — the husband, the wife, the mistress and the best friends. It's a little raunchy, but it's designed just like Love Letters, in that they can have different celebrity actors come in and play the parts. You need an afternoon's rehearsal. It's basically a read, and there's no blocking. It's an actor's dream [laughs]! Julia Duffy [ex-Karen, OLTL, et al] just went in last week and Khrystyne Haje [HEAD OF THE CLASS] came in. They're going to be adding more performances but if you go to the Web site, you can see some of the reviews and learn more about it. If you're in New York, I highly recommend it."
Barbeau's had experience with Van Zandt's words before, having starred in his 2006 production of The Property Known as Garland, in which she portrayed the stage and screen legend in a fictional account of Garland's final concert appearance. "That was one of the more difficult jobs I've had in my life," she recalls. "It was hard. It was exciting. It was a challenge. That's probably the best word. It gave me a sense of what I could accomplish because I hadn't been challenged like that before."
Might Barbeau pop up in You've Got Hate Mail as one of the revolving celebs? "Oh, I don't know," she chuckles. "Maybe one of these days."
For more information, check out www.youvegothatemail.com.
