I enjoyed Nora and Delia Ephron’s Off Broadway production, Love, Loss, and What I Wore so much in New York this past January, that I decided to see the Los Angeles production last week. This cast featured Lucy DeVito, Conchata Ferrell, Justina Machado, Rhea Perlman and Nancy Travis.

In Photo: Carol Kane, Caroline Aaron, Rita Wilson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Natasha Lyonne in the West Coast premiere

Love, Loss, and What I Wore, an intimate collection of stories by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron is based on the best-selling book by Ilene Beckerman, as well as on the recollection of the Ephrons’ friends. Like the popular book, Love, Loss, and What I Wore uses clothing and accessories and the memories they trigger to tell funny and often poignant stories that all women can relate to.

For approximately 90 minutes, audiences will be engaged by 5 women who share the stories behind the pieces of their wardrobe. The show is compiled of monologues (some overlapping in script, many interconnected in story) that will take audiences on quite a journey.

Every story told is incredibly compelling and entertaining. There really is a beautiful balance for both and the transition between the emotions felt is very smooth. One moment you will find yourself laughing at the memories remembered and the next tearing up at the moments in life that changed the paths for these women in ways they could not have expected.

Everyone will appreciate this show not only because it is very well written and relatable but also because the cast is fabulous. The women are so lively and the comedic timing is great. Timing and tone are everything for this show and the women could not have done a better job at keeping this reading tight. Each actress is witty and charming in their own way and it really comes out in the few off the cuff moments throughout the reading.

The audience loved the homage to Madonna especially. The Dressing Room and Fat/Thin were also among the audience favorites as laughter filled the room. One could hear a pin drop during the scenes, The Bathrobe and Boots. Seeing the Brides scene again, knowing the ending of this specific story, made me appreciate the story so much more from the beginning.

Interestingly, I did not find The Gang Story to be comedic at all in the beginning this time around as opposed to when I did in January. One of my favorite lines from the reading included, “I don’t understand, you could look so good if you tried.” Even though these stories take place in New York and there are so many references to the city, everyone can relate. There really is so much to enjoy and learn from in the many themes presented in Love, Loss, and What I Wore. This is a fantastic reading that will encourage you to take a look in your closet, examine the memories your clothes hold, and think about the memories you would like to hold in the future.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore plays Tuesdays – Sundays at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles for a limited time. Buy tickets today.