Classic TV stars Barbara Eden and Hal Linden read ‘Love Letters’ at Scranton Cultural Center on Feb. 1, 2020
From a press release:
It was announced today that the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple will present A.R. Gurney’s play “Love Letters” starring Barbara Eden and Hal Linden on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 at 8 p.m. in the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Theatre.
This nationally touring show delivers a once-in-a-lifetime evening featuring the legendary stars of television’s “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Barney Miller.”
A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Love Letters” by award-winning playwright A.R. Gurney is a funny and emotional portrait about the powerful connection of love. Two friends, rebellious Melissa Gardner and straight-arrow Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, have exchanged notes, cards, and letters with each other for over 50 years. From second grade through summer vacations to college and well into adulthood, they have spent a lifetime discussing their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, and victories and defeats. But long after the letters are done, the real question remains: Have they made the right choices or is the love of their life only a letter away?
Tickets, which range from $42.50-$62.50 (with a post-show meet and greet available for an additional $50), go on sale this Friday, June 28 at 10 a.m. and will be available at the Fidelity Bank Box Office at the Scranton Cultural Center (420 N. Washington Ave., Scranton), all Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling 570-344-1111. A venue pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, June 26 at 10 a.m.
Barbara Eden, 87, is a film, stage, and TV actress and singer best known for her starring role in the sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie” (1965-1970). She played “Jeannie” for five years and 139 episodes, plus two made-for-television reunion movies. On Nov. 17, 1988, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to television.
Eden wrote a memoir about her personal life and Hollywood career of more than 50 years called “Jeannie Out of the Bottle,” which was released in 2011 and debuted at No. 14 on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Hal Linden, 88, is a stage and screen actor, television director, and musician. He began his career as a big band musician and singer in the 1950s. After a stint in the United States Army, he began an acting career where he first worked in summer stock and off-Broadway productions. Linden found success on Broadway when he replaced Sydney Chaplin in the musical “Bells Are Ringing.” In 1971, he won a Best Actor Tony Award for his portrayal of Mayer Rothschild in the musical “The Rothschilds.”
In 1974, Linden landed his best-known role as the title character in the television comedy series “Barney Miller” (1975-1982). The role earned him seven Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Award nominations. During the series’ run, he also hosted two educational series, “Animals, Animals, Animals” and “FYI,” winning two special Daytime Emmy Awards for the latter series. He won a third Daytime Emmy for a guest-starring role on “CBS Schoolbreak Special” in 1995.
Linden has since continued his career on the stage, in films, and guest-starring roles on television. He released his first album of pop and jazz standards, “It’s Never Too Late,” in 2011.
“Love Letters” is sponsored by United Gilsonite Laboratories and LT Verrastro, Inc.
