By Peggy Phillips
The Hollywood Times – July 25, 2025
Ashley Griffin’s The Opposite of Love, now playing at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, is a two-person, emotionally intense drama that explores the nature of intimacy in today’s world. After a successful Off-Broadway debut in 2024, this Los Angeles production, produced by Neil Gooding Productions, marks Griffin’s return to the L.A. stage. The result is a compelling, often riveting experience. At its core, the play examines the expectations around connection, sex, and vulnerability in a society where love often feels out of reach.
Eloise (played by Griffin), a wealthy but emotionally guarded woman, hires Will (Evan Strand), a charming yet equally guarded male escort, to help her confront and move past unresolved sexual trauma. What begins as a transactional arrangement gradually evolves into a tense, intimate journey of seeking meaning and healing.
Griffin, who also wrote the script, delivers a tense, intelligent fragility as Eloise. Her performance is tightly wound yet emotionally open, capturing the subtle layers of a woman who both craves and fears connection. Strand is equally compelling as Will, bringing warmth, wit, and a disarming sincerity to the role. Their chemistry feels real, even when their circumstances are complex.
I had the chance to speak with both Ashley and Evan. I asked how they approached the play’s physical intimacy (all tastefully staged). They explained that, as trained dancers, they handled the physical intimacy demands as choreography, like a dancer: “Hand here. Arm there.” Then they layered it with believable, emotionally driven acting. The result feels natural and effortless. Much credit goes to intimacy director Celina Lee Surniak, whose work allows both characters’ emotional defenses to gradually come down. Her staging reveals vulnerability without veering into voyeurism or shock tactics. Directed with sensitivity by Melora Marshall, the production avoids sensationalism. Instead, it emphasizes quiet moments of care and conflict.
The Opposite of Love is as much about healing as it is about intimacy. It’s a slow-burn structure that allows the characters to peel back their emotional armor, exposing trauma, hope, and the deep human need to be seen and understood. The result is a moving, honest look at modern relationships and the scars we carry.
When I asked Ashley what inspired the piece, she said the concept first came to her in college, after hearing stories from friends about modern dating, and how many encounters often became one-night stands or purely transactional. She wasn’t ready to write about it then, but the idea stayed with her until she could fully develop it. We discussed how important this subject matter is: how people often avoid expressing their feelings, how past trauma remains silent, and how emotional pain can unknowingly sabotage future relationships. A twist near the end of the play highlights how leaving a relationship has responsibility and consequences that can also leave emotional wreckage.
Originally developed in 2019 at A.R.T. in New York, The Opposite of Love was refined through both virtual and in-person workshops before premiering Off-Broadway at the Royal Family Theater with New York Rep. This Los Angeles staging benefits from years of development. It’s stripped-down, intimate, and emotionally resonant from start to finish. It’s a tight 100 minutes with no intermission, and the subject matter is timely, rooted in psychological realism and emotional honesty.
This isn’t a play for those craving a tidy resolution. Instead, The Opposite of Love offers something more powerful: an honest exploration of how we break, how we heal, and why it’s so essential to feel safe talking about it.
The Opposite of Love
Now playing at Hudson Backstage Theatre
6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood, CA
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 PM, Sunday at 4:00 PM
Now through August 31
Running time: 100 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: https://www.onstage411.com/
More info:
Ashley Griffin — https://www.
Evan Strand Official Website — https://www.evanstrand.com
Neil Gooding Productions — https://www.
The Hollywood Times — https://thehollywoodtimes.
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