Screen Play Read of

LONG LOST LOVE

By BOB McANDREW

Featuring
DAN LAURIA

With
RICH ORLOW, POLLY ADAMS, SUSAN HOCHTMAN, BRITTANY CIOCE
GATWAY McCOLLOUGH, SHANNON VAN ESLEY, CORINNE CHATEAU
SKYLAR BAILEY and JONATHAN SLAFF

Directed by TOM SIMMONS

The Producers Club
358 West 44th, NYC
May 2, 2025

Just when you are ready to give up hope for humanity, along comes Bob McAndrew’s LONG LOST LOVE. A lonely man decides to search for his girlfriend of 50 years ago and successfully finds her across the country in a nursing home. Although diagnosed with end-stage Alzheimer’s, he somehow manages to rekindle the love they once shared. After a series of heart-driven decisions, he ends up charged with sexual assault and kidnapping. Screenwriter/director/acting teacher McAndrew has peppered this poignant story with delightful characters, sophisticated humor, and spurts of golden-oldie songs. Kudos to the performers who breathed life into this presentation, reader Rich Orlow who superbly told the story while playing several characters, and Dan Lauria. It’s impossible to imagine anyone else in this role; the fact that he sings slightly off key makes him even more endearing. Director Tom Simmons kept the pace brisk while allowing for emotional impact at the appropriate times.

But the real genius of LONG LOST LOVE is its tribute to the human spirit and the recognition that everyone deserves kindness and understanding. Residents of the nursing home are given the same dignity as members of the court in this script, and Alzheimer’s and/or depression do not negate the person dealing with the condition. Not once does the central character judge, blame, chastise, or denigrate anyone; instead, he remains true to his heart. This is a message sorely needed in our time of confusion, division, fear, and turmoil. Here’s to a bright future for LONG LOST LOVE – the sooner, the better!

- Laurie Lawson -