The principal cast of the 1970s and ’80s television series The Love Boat reunited in New York City on Sept. 9 for the opening night of Ted Lange’s new Off-Broadway play, Lady Patriot, at Theatre Row.
Lange, who wrote and directed the Civil War-era drama, was joined by former co-stars Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell and Jill Whelan for the limited, 12-performance run, which is scheduled to play Sept. 6–20. Lange also cast Grandy and Whelan in the production.
Lady Patriot, described in a press release cited by Playbill, dramatizes the lives and loyalties of three women during the Civil War: Varina Davis, Elizabeth Van Lew and Mary Bowser. The play centers on a breach within the inner circle of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and the question of which of his advisers may be leaking information to Union forces.
The cast for the Theatre Row engagement includes Josie DiVincenzo, Gordon Goodman, Chrystee Pharris, Derek Powell and Count Stovall alongside Grandy and Whelan. Lange said he was inspired after reading about Elizabeth Van Lew and discovering the role of Mary Bowser, a Black slave who served as a Union spy. "I soon realized I had a story about the patriotism of three different schools of thought," he said when the project was announced in July.
Lange, who played bartender Isaac Washington on The Love Boat, said he enjoyed working again with Whelan and Grandy. "We have artistic chemistry, and it is fun to see our love of theatre blossom on stage," he said.
The Love Boat aired on ABC for nine seasons from September 1977 to May 1986, centered on Captain Merrill Stubing and the crew of the cruise ship MS Pacific Princess. The series starred Gavin MacLeod as Captain Stubing, with Lange as Isaac Washington, Grandy as purser Burl "Gopher" Smith, Kopell as Dr. Adam "Doc" Bricker and Whelan as Vicki Stubing. The show was nominated for multiple Golden Globe and Emmy awards during its run. MacLeod, who was also known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died in May 2021 at age 90.
Following the final Lady Patriot performance on Sept. 20, members of The Love Boat cast are scheduled to reunite again for Princess Cruises’ Love Boat Celebration at Sea, a seven-night sailing departing Nov. 16 from Galveston, Texas. The cruise will feature Lange, Grandy, Kopell, Whelan, Lauren Tewes and recurring guest star Charo, according to People.
Lange’s staging of a historical espionage drama marks a departure from his longtime association with television comedy-drama. The limited engagement at Theatre Row offers audiences a concentrated run to see the former sitcom colleagues together in a new theatrical context while recalling the ensemble chemistry that made The Love Boat a television staple in its era.