Westport Country Playhouse To Present Script in Hand Play Reading of TENDERNESS AND GRATITUDE NUMBER FOUR

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand play reading of “Tenderness and Gratitude Number Four,” a new comedy written and directed by Enid Graham, on Monday, April 15, at 7 p.m.

The play features Mary Testa, three-time Tony nominee for Broadway's “On the Town,” “42nd Street,” and “Oklahoma!,” and Robert Sella, Broadway veteran of “Flying Over Sunset,” “Sylvia,” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” among other productions.

“Following the recent, time-honored classic and modern plays we've had in our Script in Hand series, it's a pleasure to present a brand-new work as a Script In Hand reading,” said Mark Shanahan, curator of the Playhouse Script in Hand play reading series and Playhouse artistic director. “Enid Graham is an actress I've always admired on stage and screen, and her work as a playwright is equally brilliant.”

In “Tenderness and Gratitude Number Four,” Michael is a party boy who avoids intimacy at all costs. Jenny is a jaded, wise-cracking office worker who still harbors dreams of becoming an artist. When the two strike up an unlikely friendship at work, they are forced to learn what it means to open up to someone else, and how to take a long, hard, messy look at oneself in the mirror. A new play by celebrated actress and author Enid Graham, “Tenderness and Gratitude Number 4” is a humorous and often heartbreaking examination of love, art, truth, lies, office politics, and the complicated road to true friendship.

Shanahan added, “'Tenderness and Gratitude Number 4' balances a sharp, crackling wit with a deeply felt examination of the human heart. The play made me gasp in surprise more than once upon first reading it. Truly, Michael and Jenny's journey goes to unexpected places, and I know our audience will fall in love with these wonderful characters as portrayed by this incredible, accomplished cast.”

Playwright Enid Graham noted that she thinks of her new play as “a love story about a friendship.” She said, “There are many plays about love affairs, but we don't see friendships explored in the same way. The experiences of being changed by a friend and being deeply heartbroken by a friend are quite universal and equally powerful.”

Tickets

Tickets are $30. Running time is 95 minutes; no intermission.  For full details on the Script in Hand play reading of “Tenderness and Gratitude Number Four,” visit: https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/script-in-hand-tenderness-and-gratitude-number-four/

The Script in Hand Play Reading Series is supported by Joyce Hergenhan and the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation. Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

More Script in Hand play readings are scheduled on Mondays at 7 p.m. on May 13, June 10, September 9, October 7, and December 2; titles to be announced. Script in Hand play readings offer intimate storytelling as professional actors bring the words to life without sets or costumes. For a video on Script in Hand, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2eWDaF-JXA.

A complete schedule of Playhouse events is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

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