Eydie Faye's The Pages of My Diary I'd Rather Not Read, a hit at Hudson Backstage Theatre in Los Angeles, has developed a following among the young starlets of Hollywood's movie community. Since the show reopened for a second engagement March 16, representatives for film actresses Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny and Jennifer Love Hewitt have visited the show, according to sources close to the production. Other performers have reportedly show interest. No contracts have been signed, however.
Diary is currently set to play through April 15, but the show will probably extend one more time at the Hudson and then might transfer to a bigger theatre in Los Angeles. Obviously, the involvement of any of the above stars would spur along such a move.
The actresses interest is no doubt born of the looming prospect of an screen actors' strike this summer. Indeed, in the advent of a strike, many film performers are expected to flock back to the theatre.
Barrymore's credits include "The Wedding Singer" and "Charlie's Angels" Witherspoon received enthusiastic notices for her role in the satire, "Election." Hewitt, now in the film "Heartbreakers," is still best known as one of the stars of TV's "Party of Five." Sevigny is the only actress mentioned who can boast recent stage experience: she starred in the New Group's production of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw Off Broadway in fall 2000.
The Pages of My Diary I'd Rather Not Read deals with three young career women of disparate backgrounds struggling to make it in New York City. One is a tough businesswoman with aspirations of becoming a professional writer. Another is a Jewish girl from the West Coast who hopes to succeed as an actress. The third has come from the Midwest to train as a teacher. All three have certain things in common: they come from families in which the biological father has often been absent; they have relatives who occasionally drive them nuts; they've all endured lousy jobs while pursuing their goals; and they're all seeking some form of happiness with men, searching for intimacy but generally finding disappointment. For tickets and information call (323) 930-9304.
—By Robert Simonson
