Days of Our Lives alum Julie Dove turned a long-held wish into a production, then invited Patrika Darbo and Carolyn Hennesy along. The three soap fan favorites are joining Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore at Sawyer’s Playhouse in North Hollywood, where clothes and memory drive the stories. The result sounds funny, personal, and just dangerous enough to make everyone check the back of the closet.
Key Takeaways
- Julie Dove brought Love, Loss, and What I Wore to the stage after first seeing it 16 years ago.
- The production features a different cast each weekend, with Dove appearing in every performance.
- Patrika Darbo said theater “feeds your soul,” while Carolyn Hennesy praised the sisterhood created during rehearsals.
Julie Dove Brings Love, Loss, and What I Wore to the Stage
Julie Dove (Connie), Patrika Darbo (Nancy, DAYS), and Carolyn Hennesy (Diane, General Hospital) were on The Haven Podcasts Power Hour to discuss the production and why it appealed to them. Dove first saw the show 16 years ago and never forgot it. “It’s just such a great show with lots of laughs, some tears, just heartwarming,” she said.
The play uses a readers’ theater format, with five women sharing stories tied to clothing and different points in their lives. Dove explained that the cast changes each weekend, so the same material shifts depending on who is sitting behind the music stands. “We have a new cast every week, every weekend we’re doing the show,” she said, although Dove remains the one constant in each.
Hennesy did not need much convincing when Dove called. “Actors act,” she said, explaining that a strong piece and a good group of women made the answer easy. She also loved the sisterhood that formed during rehearsal, where everyone supported the person speaking instead of waiting for her own turn.
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Patrika Darbo and Carolyn Hennesy Find More Than a Stage Reading
Darbo connected with the play’s honesty about women, aging, family, and the memories attached to what people wore. She said live theater gives actors something television cannot provide in the same way. “It feeds your soul,” Darbo said.
That bond became one of the biggest surprises for the cast. Hennesy described the group as a fierce collection of women who could help one another through the emotional material, while Dove found new meaning in the stories at every rehearsal. The play may sit on music stands, but nobody involved is treating it like homework.
Dove also noted that each audience will see something different as the performers respond to one another. Darbo and Hennesy play the same role on different weekends, giving the central character separate interpretations. For anyone attending more than once, the wardrobe may be familiar, but the women wearing the stories will not be exactly the same twice.
