Brett Harper is not having such an easy time of it. He’s a romance novelist whose wife has passed away, and without his muse, Brett has severe writer’s block. Suddenly, his wife appears in the form of a ghost, still dressed in her bloody hospital gown. (She was hit by a car, and mental note – whatever you’re wearing when you die is what you’ll wear for eternity.) Hilarity ensues.
Brett is played by my friend John Kapelos in the new stage production The Last Word. It’s running at the Garry Marshall Theatre, which is Garry’s old Falcon Theatre, renamed for him after he died. I’m coincidentally in the middle of reading Garry’s autobiography, which made this all the more special. J
John is perfect for the role and captivating and funny even pulled a bit of old Second City improv magic by working my name into Saturday night’s performance. In a line about an old friend, he said, “Max? You mean Max Shevin?” I was sitting in the front row and this made me smile throughout the entire second act. Little did John know my grandfather’s name was Max Shevin, and I’m named after him. (It’s Jewish custom not to name a baby after a relative who is still alive, but instead to use the relative’s first initial. Max = Matt.)
