By Melissa Griegel…
A play that is very relevant for our times, Still examines what happens when people love each other but disagree strongly on fundamental issues. Can they move past their differences, or will it keep them apart? This return engagement follows a successful run at Vermont’s Dorset Theatre Festival in 2023, and its subsequent Off-Broadway premiere at the DR2 Theatre in Spring 2024. The 75-minute show (no intermission) is now starring Melissa Gilbert (Little House On The Prairie, Secrets and Lies) and Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives, Mad Men) for a limited eight-week engagement at The Loreto Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought And Culture, 18 Bleecker St., NYC. Members of the creative team including playwright Lia Romeo, director Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Lucille Lortel Visionary Director Award-winner), and producers Jane Dubin and Blair Russell.



Still opens for previews on Tuesday, January 28th with a special benefit performance the following night, Wednesday, January 29th. The benefit performance is in collaboration with the Entertainment Community Fund, with 100% of net proceeds from ticket sales from the evening going to those in the entertainment industry affected by the Southern California Wildfires. The cast and crew will also collect donations and sell special merchandise items to support relief efforts. Opening night is Thursday, February 6th at 6:30 pm.
Theater Pizzazz had an opportunity to meet the cast and creative and find out more about the show. The premise of the show, “can you love someone when you hate their beliefs?” stems for playwright Lia Romeo’s personal life. “I spent a long time married to someone I cared a lot about but also disagreed with on some important issues,” she explained. “I was really wrestling with that.” She began writing the play to help figure out how to answer this question for herself. “What I realized is that there is no one answer to the question. It is something we all have to think through and wrestle with in our own ways. Right now especially, it is a question that is really timely for a lot of people because I think we all know someone, or multiple people, we profoundly disagree with in this particular moment.” Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt agreed. “This could not be a more timely show,” she said, adding, “These two actors we have are so incredible; you are not going to want to miss this.”


In the show, the characters Helen (Melissa Gilbert) and Mark (Mark Moses) meet again thirty years after breaking up. They never forgot about each other and now that they are both single, they decide to forgo the dating apps and see if they can make a go at their relationship the second time around. The story examines the “the what if?” of reconnecting with an old love, in addition to addressing who they are as people now with different views on life. Complicating the relationship is Mark’s true agenda and a secret Helen is holding. Melissa Gilbert said she can relate to as she has had three marriages and has had to address similar issues in her life. “I have come up with this issue repeatedly with partners and spouses and I have found, oftentimes, those issues to be insurmountable in a lot of ways,” she said. On the positive side, she said that when those relationships that weren’t working ended, she experienced a huge sense of relief and she was able to be herself again. “I could fully express myself, fully have my own opinion, fully be who I am in my own home.” She said she is now happily married to the true love of her life and they “agree on absolutely everything.”
Mark Moses talked about the repeatability of Still. “It’s a great topical play. It’s funny; it’s touching; and it is also in many ways about our country right now and whether or not we can come together over the differences we have right now.” Producer Jane Dublin is also thrilled to be part of Still. “I love the show,” she said, “I love the people involved with the show. I love the fact that her are women that are being highlighted. A female playwright, director, and two women who are lead producers. We have people who have been with the show for the third time. It’s a great team of people.”
Still features scenic design by Alexander Woodward, costume design by Barbara Bell, lighting design by Reza Behat, and sound design by Hidenori Nakajo. Stuart Metcalf is the production manager and Hillel Friedmanand Rashad Chambers of Evan Bernardin Productions are General Managers. Marketing and Advertising is byTable 7 Strategy, and casting is by Karie Koppel Casting. Tickets are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-219-3132, or in-person at The Sheen Center box office Monday to Friday noon to 5PM and one hour before performances.
Photos and videos by Melissa Griegel Photography