The Plaza
A HILTON HOTEL

At Plaza Circle overlooking beautiful Central Park

FIFTH AVENUE AT FIFTY-NINTH STREET · NEW YORK 19, N. Y.

October 28, 1956

Dear Monroe,

Here's the play. The central character, Stella, a part any actress would love to play, is Marie to my mind, but she always denied it. The theme of the play is hers, as is most of the writing. I think you will see her constantly as you read it.

It was a keen disappointment to Marie that no producer wanted to do it, although a few found some things in it to praise. "The poor little play," she would say when we got a turn-down. Two or three times she said to me, "I wanted this play for you, Becky. It means nothing to me for myself." Nonetheless, in the beginning, she joined me in many a rosy day-dream about all the riches we were sure to make.

My disappointment was not as sharp as hers. For one thing, I knew that I had profited immeasurably from our close association during the writing of the play, a period of about a year. For another, I never lost faith in the play. I still think something could be done with it.

We both realized that there are flaws in the latter part of the second act and in the third act. But we were amateurs and did not know how to correct them. We kept hoping that someone who was knowledgeable would like the play enough to point out our errors and work with us on it. But we never found such a person.

Please don't feel that you have to praise it. It's been panned by experts, my dear Monroe.