The first production of George Street Playhouse’s 2026/27 season is The Unexpected 3rd: A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive.
Written and performed by award-winning actress Kathryn Grody, the show follows the actress as she contemplates what it means to enter elderhood, and grapples with the changes—both good and bad—that aging brings.
The show is directed by Timothy Near and runs through November 1 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, the home of GSP.
Kathryn Grody, a two-time Obie Award winner recently spoke with WBGO's Doug Doyle about the show and career, her Tony Award-winning husband, actor and singer Mandy Patinkin, and the loss of her dear friend and fellow legendary actress, Academy Award winner Diane Keaton.
Grody says one of the most gratifying results of The Unexpected 3rd is that a younger audience is being impacted by her performance.
"I expected people over 50 to relate to a lot of it, but what has been astonishingly moving to me is that young people have started coming to this. This one gorgeous 36-year old said it's my birthday and the gift you gave me is that you make getting older exciting."
This is Grody's third one-woman show. Even though she admits she loves working with other actors in an ensemble cast, she really enjoys having the audience to herself.
"These solo shows have been all about two things: One, as you age there's no work, particularly for women in the theater. So I created my own work. Two, it's a funny thing because I write about things I'm experiencing and that lots of people are experiencing, but I don't see in the theatrical zeitgeist. A Mom's Life started with someone asking me, when I had my second son, 'Are you working now or just staying home and having fun'? So, I went to Joe Pap, my beloved mentor and told him that I wanted to answer that question theatrically. One of the great moments of my life was when Joe Pap said if you write it, i'll produce it."
Grady recently launched a podcast with her husband following their TikTok virality during COVID). Mandy Patinkin is best known for his stage performances as well as playing “Inigo Montoya” in the classic film Princess Bride and the role of "Saul" in the hit Showtime series Homeland, also starring Claire Danes.
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with Kathryn Grody below:
and WBGO's film critic Harlan Jacobson returns from the Toronto, San Sebastian and now the 64th New York Film Festival.
Harlan reviews Tender Loving Care and The Only Living Pickpocket in NY.
