John JW Walker and Pamela Gaye Walker perform The Empty Nesters. (Photos:DavidAllen)
Review: “The Empty Nesters,” is a relatable relationship journey full of warmth and humor, at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood from January 17 to February 17, 2019.
The Empty Nesters is a universal story. It’s about relationships, and, like every good marriage—there’s lots of humor. That’s what makes this play starring John JW Walker and Pamela Gaye Walker so wonderful.
The new play about life after kids has real-life “empty nesters” JW and Pamela providing the perfect chemistry to share the warm and witty story with an audience. The comedy has emotional self-discovery and poignant moments that are played brilliantly by the Walkers.
Communication is perhaps the most difficult “problem” to tackle in a relationship, and yet the couple gives sort of a master class in how things can get out of hand, and then bring it back to a place where the love between them is the glue that holds them together.
The play is at the Zephyr Theatre from January 17 to February 17. It is from award-winning playwright Garret Jon Groenveld (The Hummingbirds) and directed By Richard Seyd (By The Waters Of Babylon).
The real joy of the show is seeing John and Pamela reunite on stage after a 20-year hiatus. JW is a film producer (The Incredibles 1 & 2- an Academy Award®-Best Animated Picture, Tomorrowland) and actor, whose theatre background includes 30 stage productions with his wife. Pamela is an accomplished writer and director for theatre and film, plus an award-winning actress who has appeared in film, television, and on stages across the country. Also the author of “On Stage Naked, from the Salvation Army to the Academy Awards,” available on Amazon, it’s her funny and personal story of survival with JW in the Arts.
The Empty Nesters’ journey begins after the couple drops off their last kid at college, and they take a trip to the Grand Canyon to figure out who they are together. It seems for 20 years they have ignored each other, working and raising their kids, so now there’s a lot to grasp as they just have each other.
JW noted, “This show is the greatest hits of a long marriage. It’s stuff everyone goes through. People can relate to the arguments and the joys we have in the play, and it’s very funny. When the couple get to the Grand Canyon, they go out on the breathtaking skywalk. Facing the abyss together is a metaphor for their lives. Visual motion artists from Pixar have created the projected scenery, beautiful South Western landscapes, so the audience can take the journey with us and look out over the skywalk.”
Pamela said, “This will appeal to everyone who needs to take time to discover what is important about our relationships. We did it in San Francisco, and couples who saw it returned with their adult kids to enjoy it too. It’s been a satisfying journey with the right timing to collaborate with John and return to the stage together.”
Pamela added, “It’s good for us to remember the artistic impulse is the same whether for a multimillion dollar film production or a small theater production—it’s about the work. At The Empty Nesters, people will laugh and they’ll cry, and throughly enjoy it. Come and be entertained.”
The Empty Nesters plays at the Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, 90046, January 17 to February 17, 2019. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are available through www.EmptyNestersPlay.com.
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