Adam's Favorite Things

Do you remember the days when you would eagerly await the arrival of your mail carrier curious if there was anything for you?

Well, there is a GREAT play at the Daryl Roth DR2 Theatre in NYC called Pen Pals, that evokes memories of yesterday.

I just returned from seeing Michael Griffo's FANTASTIC play Pen Pals for the 3rd time!

With a rotating cast every two weeks, I have had the privilege of seeing Nancy McKeon & Johanna Day, Michelle Clunie & Megan Follows, and now Catherine Curtin & Marcia Cross portray Bernie and Mags, respectively.

Michael Griffo has written such a TERRIFIC play because his writing truly allows each actress to bring their own uniqueness to their roles.

As I just mentioned, I have seen Pen Pals 3 times, with 3 different casts and every time I see the show, I feel as though I am seeing it for the first time all over again!

Pen Pals tells the story of 2 friends who live in two different countries, and while they never met, they are best friends because of the pen pal letters they have written to each other over 5 decades.

Bernie & Mags share everything with each other, from the joys to the heartbreaks to the laugh out loud moments. They write about the ups, downs and all the moments in between that happens in this thing called life.

What I specifically loved about Catherine's portrayal of Bernie was the Jersey accent & attitude she brought to the role. She offered a flair that I hadn't seen in previous visits to Pen Pals.

What made Marcia's performance unique was the way in which she had Mags react to the letters while Bernie was reading them. Whether it was a look, laugh or body language, Marcia's concentration made me feel as though I was receiving a letter, myself, from Mags.

Even though I have seen Pen Pals multiple times, I always notice something different with each viewing.

This time around, I liked that the costumes Catherine & Marcia wore were slightly different than the ones the previous actresses wore.

For example, I thought it was very spot on that Catherine wore an orange sweater and mentions that orange is her favorite color because after all, she was on Netflix's Orange is the New Black.

One of my favorite things about Pen Pals was how Bernie & Mags continued to write letters to each other, even though parts of the play took place during the invention of e-mail & smart phones. 

Pen Pals took me down memory lane because of the pen pals I had during my teenage years and the ones I am still friends with today! 

This universal play will make you laugh, smile & remind you that we are all connected through friendship.

I was over the moon that I got the opportunity to meet Marcia & Catherine after the show! They are two of the nicest humans I have met.

Pen Pals  is truly one of My Favorite Things!

With just 10 performances left, you have until November 9, 2025 to see this dynamic duo, in these roles, in Pen Pals. Click Here for tickets!