The Opposite of Love at Hudson Backstage Theatre

An intimate story about a trust fund baby and a down on his luck hustler who form an unlikely bond, the hit Off-Broadway play The Opposite of Love will have its west coast premiere opening July 25 at the Hudson Backstage Theatre and continues through August 31, with a preview performance on July 24. Featuring original star and Los Angeles native Ashley Griffin (Playwright and co-stars as Eloise) making her long awaited Los Angeles theatrical return, co-starring with actor Evan Strand (co-stars as Will). When Eloise hires Will to help her move past her sexual trauma, their search for intimacy must survive darker inclinations in a world where love is a commodity.

Presented by Neil Gooding Productions (Back to the Future, Gypsy, Operation Mincemeat, Sunset Blvd.) and directed by Melora Marshall, an actress in her own right and director renowned for her dynamic contributions to the stage, particularly at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon. A longtime company member, she has performed in countless productions over the decades, often taking on gender-bending and unconventional roles that showcase her versatility and depth as an artist.

This show will mark the “hometown return” of Broadway artist, and L.A. native, Ashley Griffin, in her first theatrical performance/performance of her work in L.A. since her move to NYC to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, after which she began her Broadway/off-Broadway career. Griffin started as a child actor in L.A. known for her tremendous dramatic acting ability. She made her Shakespeare debut at age eight and performed in theater, film and T.V. all over L.A., including traveling with some productions to London and Stratford-Upon-Avon. She had her first play produced in L.A. when she was seventeen years old.

The Opposite of Love had received development at A.R.T. and off-Broadway’s Theatre Row and premiered off-Broadway in 2024 at The Royal Family Theater, produced by NewYorkRep Founding Executive Director, Gayle Waxenberg.

Described as “If ‘Pretty Woman’ was a ‘Black Mirror’ episode, sans tech, THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE has been heralded as:

- “A masterpiece…For anyone asking where the great new American plays are, look no further…(an) extraordinary achievement (that) cuts straight to the heart of the human condition” – OnStage

- “A bold and hard hitting new play” - Plays to See

- “A truthful, devastating and brave play” - Times Square Chronicles

“There are a lot of things we don’t talk about when it comes to intimacy,” says Ashley Griffin. “My generation was the first raised after the afterglow of the “free love” movement had faded and given way to a free for all cyber world where dating feels like an audition process and love, in many ways, is a commodity. We need to finally talk about the painful experiences, the dangers, the fears that have become horribly casual and common, in addition to addressing the long term ramifications of sexual assault and trauma for those of any gender. The Opposite of Love was born out of a desire to hold a mirror up to the issues in romantic relationships we pretend don’t exist or, for some, may not realize exist at all.”