Brooke Adams and Marilu Henner to Join PEN PALS Off-Broadway
Additional upcoming performers include Donna Lynne Champlin, Emily Skinner, Veanne Cox and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 09, 2025
Brooke Adams and Marilu Henner will star as Bernie and Mags in Pen Pals Off-Broadway, beginning in February at the DR2 Theatre, joining the rotating roster of women.
Written by Michael Griffo and directed by Suzanne Barabas, Pen Pals is inspired by a true story and charts five decades of friendship through handwritten letters exchanged by two women who never meet in person. Each new pairing brings fresh emotional insight to this deeply moving and often humorous story of connection and resilience.
Ms. Adam and Ms Henner join Pen Pals family that includes upcoming performances by Donna Lynne Champlin (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) & Emily Skinner (Side Show – Tony Award nominee), Veanne Cox (Fun Home, Caroline, or Change - Obie & Drama Desk Award winner) & Melissa Gilbert (“Little House on the Prairie” -Emmy Award winner), and encore performance by Sharon Lawrence (“NYPD Blue” - Emmy nominee) & Maureen McCormick (“The Brady Bunch”), Randy Graff (City of Angels - Tony Award winner) & Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone -Tony Award winner), Gina Torres (“Suits,” “Firefly”) & Carmen Cusack (Bright Star- Tony Award nominee), and Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid) & Marcia Mitzman Gaven (Ragtime-Tony Award nominee), Their addition underscores the production’s strength and appeal as it continues to welcome these extraordinary performers.
Brooke Adams
began her career in New York theater and film and was honored with a 2022 retrospective of her work by the Harvard Film Archive. Her film credits include Days of Heaven, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Dead Zone, and Gas Food Lodging. Her theater credits include The Heidi Chronicles and Lend Me a Tenor on Broadway, and Madwomen of the West Off-Broadway. On television, she is best known for her recurring role on “Monk,” most recently appearing in Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie.
Marilu Henner
is a five-time Golden Globe nominee with an expansive career across Broadway, film, and television. Her Broadway credits include Chicago, Grease (originated Marty), and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife. Her film work includes L.A. Story and Noises Off, while television audiences know her best from the Emmy-winning series “Taxi,” along with appearances on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” A New York Times bestselling author, Henner is also widely known for her work on memory and health and tours nationally with her one-woman show Memory Girl!.
