JOY BEHAR’S MY FIRST EX-HUSBAND WILL RETURN TO THE HUNTINGTON DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Jaques, Associate Director of Publicity
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
JOY BEHAR’S MY FIRST EX-HUSBAND WILL RETURN TO THE HUNTINGTON DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND
After an acclaimed, star-studded run at The Huntington this fall, Joy Behar will return to the Calderwood Pavilion for one weekend only in March 2026
(BOSTON) – The Huntington announces Joy Behar’s new comedy My First Ex-Husband will return to the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St) due to audience demand. Behar will return to the stage again in her featured role, along with a cast of stars from theatre, television, and film to be announced. Produced by Caiola Productions and Cyrena Esposito, and directed by Randal Myler, this North American tour will return to the Calderwood Pavilion for one weekend only, March 27 – March 29, 2026.
GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen called My First Ex-Husband at The Huntington “masterful and extremely funny! These actors are just extraordinary on stage!” and The Huntington News praised the production for being “brave, relatable, unfiltered, and powerfully authentic!”
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 and performer 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 Cyrene 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. As part of its fall tour in 2025, the production enjoyed a highly acclaimed run at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston’s South End; the cast at the time included Joy Behar, Veanne Cox, Tonya Pinkins, and Jackie Hoffman.
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.
Catalyst Theatricals are the general managers of My First Ex-Husband.
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.
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: March 27 – March 29, 2026
Evenings: Fri and Sat at 7pm
Matinees: Sat at 2pm; Sun at 1pm and 4pm
Days and times vary; see complete schedule above.
Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Due to the limited dates of this run, complimentary press tickets will not be made available for My First Ex-Husband in March 2026.
WHERE
Calderwood Pavilion
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:
- 20% off group sales (10 or more)
- $35 student and military tickets (valid ID required)
- $35 rush (1 hour prior to curtain)
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 Associate Director of Publicity Gabrielle Jaques at gjaques@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520.
PHOTOS are available for download here.
Due to the limited dates of this run, complimentary press tickets will not be made available for My First Ex-Husband in March 2026.
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 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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