The run was scheduled to go to March 9, but enthusiastic reviews greeted it, with Variety's critic saying "there's a big audience for a work like this, especially when it's in the hands of these four fine actors." The Variety review went on to say "Rose and Walsh could well see extended runs anywhere it's staged — even Broadway." The reviewer also gives away all the play's plot points and secrets (fans call these "spoilers"). Suffice to say the play deals with mortality, death and literary legacies.
David Esbjornson directs the new work, somewhat inspired by the relationship between Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman. Jane Alexander, Len Cariou, David Aaron Baker and Marin Hinkle make up the cast.
The theatre bills the work this way: "Rose and Walsh follows two great literary figures and the depth and consequence of their enduring love. At a beautiful beach house on the tip of Long Island, Rose (Jane Alexander), a celebrated but near penniless author, receives nightly visits from Walsh (Len Cariou), the love of her life and a famous writer himself. Now Walsh must go away forever, but not before securing Rose's financial future with an extraordinary proposal that promises to change everything."
Hinkle plays Arlene, Rose's assistant and confidant, and Baker is Clancy, a young writer.
Geffen Playhouse is at 10886 Le Conte Avenue in Westwood. For tickets, call (310) 208-5454 or visit www.geffenplayhouse.com.