Brian Letscher's new play is the dark comedy "Smart Love."
The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea is about to stage the world premiere of a new play by TV star and playwright Brian Letscher. On TV, Letscher plays Tom Larsen, a murderous Secret Service agent on the hit series “Scandal.”
WKAR’s Scott Pohl went to Chelsea to talk with Brian Letscher about “Scandal,” his Michigan roots, and “Smart Love.”
The play is described as the comedic story of a young man struggling with the death of his father and what he comes to know about his parents' marriage.
Letscher says it means a lot to him that Purple Rose is debuting his second play after also having been first to stage his first play, "When the Lights Come On." He describes artistic director Guy Sanville as a mentor a friend since he started acting 19 years ago.
His brother Matt is also an actor and playwright who has worked at Purple Rose. Like Brian, Matt attended the University of Michigan. Matt, too, has appeared in "Scandal," though not in a scene with Brian...at least, not yet. They consult each other on the scripts they've written.
You might think that the star of a network series is too busy to write plays, but Brian Letscher says writing makes him "happier than anything."
"Smart Love" opens with preview performances starting Thursday night at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea. Opening night is January 27th, and the show runs through March 4th.