THE HUNTINGTON WELCOMES A CAST OF STARS IN OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY COMEDY BY JOY BEHAR, MY FIRST EX-HUSBAND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Jaques, Publicist
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
Members of the press, RSVP here
THE HUNTINGTON WELCOMES A CAST OF STARS IN OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY COMEDY BY JOY BEHAR, MY FIRST EX-HUSBAND
Joy Behar, Veanne Cox, Judy Gold, Jackie Hoffman, and Tonya Pinkins bring this witty comedy based on true stories to The Huntington this September
(BOSTON) – The Huntington will host the hilarious My First Ex-Husband, a new comedy by Joy Behar and featuring a cast of stars from theatre, television, and film including Joy Behar, Veanne Cox, Judy Gold, Jackie Hoffman, and Tonya Pinkins. Produced by Caiola Productions and Cyrena Esposito, and directed by Randal Myler, this North American tour plays on weekends only at The Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (527 Tremont St) from September 12 – September 28, 2025.
My First Ex-Husband is a bold and heartfelt adaptation of true stories by the legendary Joy Behar, comedienne and co-host of The View. With razor-sharp wit and no filters, it explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex, and relationships. Whether you’re happily coupled, cautiously committed, or considering changing the locks, relationships are complicated—and universally relatable. These stories are your stories, only funnier. Each weekend, a cast of four stars from theatre, television, and film join the show, bringing their unique personalities to tell these tales that may be eerily familiar. Outrageous yet deeply relatable, this show will resonate with anyone who has navigated the turbulent and often titillating seas of love. Times Square Chronicle says that My First Ex-Husband “appeals to men, women, and anyone who has ever been in a relationship.”
“The stories are very relatable,” says playwright Joy Behar. “Even if you never got a divorce, you still have problems with in-laws, let’s say, or sex, or kids, or money — everybody has problems. Marriage is a work in process all the time.”
Called “a boldface lure of comic relationship stories” by The New York Times and “as relatable as it is outrageous!” by People Magazine, the production was originally conceived by Behar along with lead producers Rose Caiola and Cyrena Esposito. Behar crafted the evening of monologues based on interviews with friends and colleagues who had navigated breakups. My First Ex-Husband was first presented at Bay Street in August 2024 before opening the new Off Broadway MMAC Theatre in January 2025.
My First Ex-Husband is part of The Huntington Selects, a series of curated touring productions The Huntington partners with to bring exciting and unique experiences to Boston audiences. This series is offered as an add-on to The Huntington’s subscription season, and Huntington FlexPass holders are able to redeem their tickets for these performances and events.
The cast of my first ex husband includes:
Week 1 (September 12 – 14)
Week 2 (September 19 – 21)
Week 3 (September 26 – 28)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Joy Behar (Playwright and Performer) is among today’s leading comic talents. Whether performing standup comedy or interviewing politicians and artists, she is an original voice and leading woman on both stage and screen. She was a member of the original cast of ABC’s The View for 16 years, returning as co-host in September 2015 for the show’s three most recent seasons. Along with winning the 2009 Daytime Emmy® Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, Behar is also the recipient of three MAC Awards, a CableACE Award, and a 2000 GLAAD Award for her enduring friendship with the LGBTQ+ community. On television, she starred in two HBO specials and was a regular on the series Baby Boom. She also appeared in Woody Allen’s Amazon series Crisis in Six Scenes. In June 2016, Behar was inducted into the Brooklyn Walk of Fame at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, joining an impressive list of Brooklynites honored for their distinguished work in entertainment, sports, media, and the arts. Behar has hosted her own shows, including a call-in radio show on WABC, The Joy Behar Show on HLN, and Say Anything on Current TV. Her film appearances include This Is My Life, directed by Nora Ephron and Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. In theater, Behar starred in Nicky Silver’s play, The Food Chain, for which she earned rave reviews; and also in the critically acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues. She also wrote and performed in her own solo show, Me, My Mouth and I, at the Cherry Lane Theatre. As a playwright, Behar has written Crisis in Queens, along with her short play Bonkers in the Boroughs, which was featured in the New York Comedy Festival in November 2023. Her new play, My First Ex-Husband, will be produced in New York City in January 2025. Behar has written five books, including two children’s books. Her most recent book, The Great Gasbag: An A-to-Z Study Guide to Surviving Trump World, was released in October 2017.
Veanne Cox (Performer) has received a Special Drama Desk Award for “Excellence and Significant Contributions to the Theatre” and an Obie Award for “Sustained Excellence.” She has appeared on Broadway in An American in Paris, A Free Man of Color, La Cage aux Folles, Caroline or Change, The Dinner Party, Company (Tony Award nomination), and Smile. Off Broadway: The Wedding Band, The Old Friends, The Most Deserving, Damn Yankees, Blind, Paradise Park, Spain, Last Easter, The Wooden Breeks, House and Garden, Labor Day, The Altruists, The Batting Cage, The Waiting Room, Flora the Red Menace, Freedomland, A Question of Mercy, The Food Chain, The Vagina Monologues. Film and TV include: Only Murders in the Building, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Summoning Sylvia, The Mandalorian, Erin Brockovich, Big Eden, Beethoven’s 4TH, You’ve Got Mail, Marci X, Odd Mom Out, Louie, Smash, Pan Am, Two Broke Girls, Seinfeld, Cinderella, Boston Legal, Royal Pains, Joan of Arcadia, all Law and Orders, the web series Indoor Boys (Emmy nomination), and Cady Did. She has performed regionally in DC, the Berkshires, Sag Harbor, Hartford, San Diego, San Francisco, La Jolla, Los Angeles, Houston, Minneapolis, and Louisville in Shakespeare, Moliere, Coward, Wilde, Simon, Durang, Ives, Foote, and Ludwig.
Judy Gold (Performer) is a stand-up comedian, actor, author, TV writer, and activist who The New York Times dubbed, “an underappreciated gem of the New York comedy scene,” which is the kind of back-handed compliment she adores. She has been making audiences howl for over 40 years and has had stand-up specials on HBO (Cable Ace Award), Comedy Central, and LOGO. Judy is one of the subjects featured in the Netflix documentary Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution. She is the author of Yes I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians We Are All in Trouble, which was featured in The New York Times Book Review. The Off Broadway show Yes I Can Say That! received rave reviews. Judy hosts the weekly podcast, It’s Judy’s Show with Judy Gold. From 1999-2010, Judy was the host of HBO’s At the Multiplex with Judy Gold. Judy won two Emmy awards for writing and producing The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She was also the story editor on the final season of FX’s Better Things. Judy has written and starred in three critically acclaimed Off Broadway hit shows: the aforementioned, Yes I Can Say That!, The Judy Show – My Life as a Sitcom (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother (GLAAD Media Award – Outstanding NY Theater, Drama Desk Nomination – Actor). Judy played Gremio in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park all-female production of The Taming of The Shrew. Judy’s three albums, Conduct Unbecoming, Kill Me Now, and Judith’s Roommate Had a Baby are available wherever you get your music. You can follow her on social media at @jewdygold
Jackie Hoffman (Performer) Best known for her Emmy-nominated role of ‘Mamacita’ from FX’s Feud: Betty and Joan, Jackie was recently seen in HULU’s Only Murders in the Building (SAG Nomination), NBC’s Night Court, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and in the Netflix films, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah and Glass Onion. On Broadway, Jackie has co-starred in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, On the Town, The Addams Family, Xanadu, and Hairspray. Off Broadway, she starred as ‘Yente’ in the critically acclaimed Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof. Her solo album, Live at Joe’s Pub, is available for streaming. jackiehoffman.com @jackiehoffman16
Tonya Pinkins (Performer) Renowned theater actress, Tonya Pinkins is a three-time Tony nominee, winning the award in 1992 for her performance as Sweet Anita in Jelly’s Last Jam. Over the course of her career in theater, she has also been recognized with Opie, Lortel, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, AUDLECO, Garland, LA Drama Critics Circle, Clarence Derwent and NAACP Theater awards. On television, Pinkins can currently be seen in Tyler Perry’s popular dramedy series Sistas, and she recently starred in the critically acclaimed ABC limited series Women of the Movement. Pinkins also appeared in the series God Friended Me, Fear the Walking Dead, Gotham, 24, and J.J. Abrams’ 11.22.63. Notable silver screen credits include Above the Rim, The Book of Henry, and Enchanted. Pinkins made her feature directorial debut with the 2021 horror-comedy Red Pill, which received numerous accolades, including Best Narrative Feature at the Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival. Her second feature, Game Nite, premiered at the Pan African Film Festival in early 2024. A 2019-2022 Fulbright Specialist and published author, she also was the 2020 recipient of the Franky Award and the Rachel Crothers Leadership Award. Tonya is also writing and directing an original play, Jeffery Manor, as part of the Apollo New Playwright Salon series at The Janelle Procope Theater on April 11 & 12, 2025.
Randal Myler (Director) Tony Award® nominee for co-conceiving and directing It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues at Lincoln Center. He recently directed Rock & Roll Man at New World Stages (with producer Rose Caiola), which won a 2023 BEST MUSICAL AUDELCO Award for Excellence in Black Theatre. He is also known (both as writer and director) for his critically acclaimed Hank Williams: Lost Highway (Drama Desk, Lortel nom, Outstanding Musical; 2 years at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville) and his Janis Joplin bio-musical Love, Janis, which surpassed 700 performances at the former Village Gate. Myler’s other numerous credits include co-conceiving Nat King Cole and Me with Gregory Porter; directing former Ronette Ronnie Spector’s triumphant UK tour of Beyond the Beehive; directing Dream A Little Dream: The Mamas and Papas Musical with “Papa” Denny Doherty; Fire On The Mountain: Music Of The Coal Mines (Best Musical—Bay Area Critics); and, most recently, I’ll Take You There: The Music Of Muscle Shoals. His extensive regional credits include The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alley Theatre, Seattle Rep, Denver Center, Dallas Theatre Center, San Diego’s Old Globe, and many others.
DETAILS ON MY FIRST EX-HUSBAND
WHEN
Performances: September 12 – September 28, 2025
Evenings: Fri and Sat at 7:30pm
Matinees: Sat at 2pm; Sun at 1pm
Days and times vary; see complete schedule above.
Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Press Opening: Friday, September 12, 2025 at 7:30pm (RSVP here)
WHERE
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
527 Tremont St, Boston
TICKETS
Tickets to in-person performances start at $35. Season ticket packages and FlexPasses are also now on sale:
- online at huntingtontheatre.org
- by phone at 617-266-0800;
- or in person at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave) or Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street)
Select discounts apply:
- $10 off: season ticket holders
- $40 “HYPE” tickets for patrons 40 years old and younger (valid ID required)
- $25 student and military tickets (valid ID required)
- Limited number of Pay-What-You-Wish tickets (not available online, please call or visit the box office to inquire using the contact info above)
The Huntington asks that any patron experiencing COVID symptoms stay home and contact ticketing services for more information about exchanges.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Any members of the media who are interested in speaking with the creatives behind My First Ex-Husband, please contact Publicist Gabrielle Jaques at gjaques@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520.
Press night for critics is Friday, September 12, 2025 at 7:30pm. Please RSVP here for press night or other available performances.
PHOTOS are available for download here.
ABOUT CAIOLA PRODUCTIONS
Caiola Productions has won eight Tony Awards® and numerous Drama Desk Awards, producing over 50 Broadway shows. Their award-winning productions include: Company, The Inheritance, Once on this Island, Dear Evan Hansen, The Color Purple, All The Way, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and Parade. Current productions include Cabaret, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Left On Tenth. Rose Caiola is a musical book writer and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Freckleface Strawberry The Musical. She received an AUDELCO Award as book writer of Best New Musical Rock & Roll Man, which is currently en route for a UK run. Rose is the owner of Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, as well as the exciting new MMAC Theatre opening this January with its pilot production, My First Ex-Husband.
ABOUT CYRENA ESPOSITO
A long-time talent manager, former talent agent, and founder of Red Letter Entertainment, representing some of the industry’s finest and award-winning talent. Cyrena is a producer on Broadway’s Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards®, including Best Musical Revival. She also co-produced the Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, as well as Spiderman on Broadway. She earned her BFA in Theatre and began her career as an actress. She worked in television development before becoming an agent, where she repped Ms. Behar and her childhood idol, a dream come true, Liza Minnelli. She and Rose Caiola will also produce Bonkers In The Boroughs with Joy Behar next year. Follow @redletterent on Instagram.
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s theatrical commons and leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination of audiences and artists and amplify the wide range of voices in our community.
Under the leadership of Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington is committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, provides life-changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, has acted as the host organization for a multi-year residency of The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theatre company based in Boston, and serves the local arts community through our operation of The Huntington Calderwood/BCA.
The Huntington reopened the historic Huntington Theatre in fall of 2022 after its transformational renovation, and is currently in phase two of the project; the renovation and building project of this storied venue with a bold vision for the future will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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