Dear Friend,

I wrote the novel Beaches because I needed to tell the story of just how crucial my relationships with my woman friends are. The idea was brought home to me one day when I was in my late twenties and a close friend said to me, “When one of us dies, I hope it’s me first because I wouldn’t want to live on a planet that didn’t have you in it.” It was a powerful statement about how much our friendship meant to her, and it was equally important to me. I realized then that friendships like the one I had with her helped me through both the worst events and the greatest joys of my life. I often needed advice and prodding to go on when I thought I couldn’t, and my favourite memories are of laughing with friends so hard that our stomachs hurt. I became who I am in large part because of the way these women were present for me in a thousand ways over the years, who have always been there for me in my moments of need with no questions asked. I hope they feel that I’ve been there for them in that way too.

At one point after Beaches came out I was gathering material about women’s friendships, knowing I would be discussing the subject at speaking engagements on my book tours. I read a statistic that revealed that when asked, a large percentage of women said if they were ever forced to choose, they would give up their husbands before they would give up their best friends! I found it funny and not particularly surprising. I’m lucky to have an amazing husband, but I understood the point; your girlfriends can be there for you in ways even the greatest partner can’t.

My best friend in college became a beautiful actress, first on The Guiding Light, then on Broadway and in many sitcoms. Her name was Caroline McWilliams. Caroline died in 2010, and I had the opportunity to spend some time helping to care for her during her long illness. During the last week of her life she was very aware that she only had a short time left, and once as I sat next to her bed she said to me, with her perfect timing, “This is hard. It’s not as hard as comedy. But it’s hard.” And we both laughed long and loud. I think the reason Beaches affects people is because when our time comes, all of us would want to be able to exit laughing with our best friends beside us.

Go home and call your best friend tonight.

Iris

– IRIS RAINER DART
WRITER

Dear Friend,

When I first met Iris, she asked me why she should trust me with her “baby,” and I told her that no one would ever love Beaches as much as me. After spending many years working together on this original musical, I have realized that there are so many people who feel the same way: that no one will ever love Beaches as much as they do. I have discovered that there are hundreds of reasons why people connect to this beautiful story because Iris reminds us that soulmates don’t always come in the form of romantic love and love of our friends can be just as powerful. Watching two opposite girls maintain a friendship through 30 years of laughter, sorrow, and love is completely relatable and also aspirational.

Iris also taps into the heart and soul of what great friendship allows us to do: to become better versions of ourselves and to have a champion who will always tell it like it is. The characters of Cee Cee and Bertie remind us that the old adage “opposites attract” is true. This relatability taps into our human spirit and is why legions of fans feel so passionate about this story and these characters.

It is one of the great pleasures of my life to bring this story to new generations with this stellar team. I can’t wait for audiences of all ages to fall in love with Cee Cee and Bertie, for the first time or for the hundredth. I hope best friends around the world will share this universal story and appreciate their own unique bond. At its core, Beaches is a love story about friendship… go fall in love!

With gratitude,

Jennifer

– JENNIFER MALONEY-PREZIOSO
PRODUCER