'Just Another Day'

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the Los Angeles premiere of a joyous and deeply moving love story about the complex nature of aging. Following successful runs off-Broadway and in Ireland, Just Another Day, written by Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years, Sullivan and Son, Pitch) and starring Lauria alongside Patty McCormack (The Bad Seed), will run August 30 through September 28 at West L.A.’s Odyssey Theatre, with New York director Eric Krebs at the helm.

In this capativating romantic comedy that celebrates the resilience of love with hilarity, pathos and meaning, a couple in their seventies meet daily on a park bench to exchange wits and barbs, wax nostalgic about old movies — and to try to remember how they know, and love, one another.

“The characters are two former comedy writers who now have dementia, so every day they meet, they write comedy, and they fall in love again,” explains Lauria.

“I want the audience to understand that the creative spirit never dies,” he says. “All the other plays I’ve seen or read have to do with how the family deals with dementia. This is the only play on this subject I know of that is not about the family or the hospital conditions. This play is about the creative spirit that lives on no matter what.”

Just Another Day had its New York City premiere at off-Broadway’s Theatre 555 in a production produced and directed by Krebs, then traveled to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where it will return in October. Reviewing an earlier production at Great Barrington Public Theater in Massachusetts, The Boston Globe wrote, “At first glance, ‘Just Another Day’ exudes a poignant sense of loss. But within moments, playwright Dan Lauria shifts to joy — celebrating relationships, the pleasure of creativity, and the hope that laughter brings — for a play that is both tender and uplifting.”

Performances of Just Another Day take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from August 30 through September 28, with one preview set for Friday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. There will be two additional weeknight performances, on Wednesday, Sept. 17 and Wednesday, Sept. 24, each at 8 p.m.

The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. Tickets range from $20 to $43. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com.