Maureen McCormick of ‘The Brady Bunch’ talks about starring in the show ‘Pen Pals’

Maureen McCormick in ‘Pen Pals.’ Photo Courtesy of Russ Rowland.

Actress Maureen McCormick (“The Brady Bunch”) chatted about starring in the Off-Broadway production of “Pen Pals,” which is being performed at the DR2 Theatre in New York City.

‘Pen Pals’

In “Pen Pals,” Bernie (Maureen McCormick) and Mags (Sharon Lawrence) live in two different countries (United States and England respectively), they haven’t met in person, but they are best friends through their sincere and secret letters to one another.

The play was written by Michael Griffo and it was directed by SuzAnne Barabas. It features a rotating cast of actresses, and it celebrates the power of friendship through handwritten letters that were exchanged over five decades.

On her “Pen Pals” experience, she exclaimed, “It has been amazing! It really is. I feel like I’ve fallen in love with acting again.”

“The stage here is just amazing,” she added.

Working with Sharon Lawrence

On working with Sharon Lawrence, she remarked, “I love Sharon. It has been amazing to work with her. Sharon is a really great human being. She is really talented. She is fun to be in this play with.”

“Every performance feels different, which I love,” she admitted. “So, yeah, it has been fantastic.”

Playing Bernie in ‘Pen Pals’

On playing her character, Bernie, McCormick said, “I love Bernie! I feel like I’ve known a lot of Bernies in my life.”

“I love her because she tells it like it is. She has had a lot to deal with, but she’s a fighter,” she noted.A

“I think she has so many dreams, and so many of them have been taken away by life and things that happen,” she said. “Yet, I feel like she always has hope in her heart among all the tragedy.”

Lessons learned from this play

On the lessons learned from this show, McCormick reflected, “Well, it taught me that I’m a lot stronger than I think I am sometimes.”

“Also, doing theatre has made me fall in love with acting again,” she added.

Encore McCormick and Lawrence performance of ‘Pen Pals’ in January of 2026

Speaking of theatre, McCormick and Lawrence will be reprising their roles as Bernie and Mags in “Pen Pals” from January 7 to 18, 2026.

“We are both so excited to come back,” she said. “I love New York. I love the people, and I love the energy.”

“There is just an amazing artistic community here on so many levels. Last night, Sharon was lovely enough to take my husband and I and some friends out. We met new friends here in New York who are very tuned in to the artistic community here.”

McCormick on her experience as Marcia Brady in ‘The Brady Bunch’

McCormick, who is best known for her seminal role as Marcia Brady in “The Brady Bunch” recalled her experience on that iconic show. “That show was amazing,” she exclaimed. “I loved being a part of that show, and I dearly loved everyone connected with it.”

“I feel like it was one of those times when everything comes together and it was just a magical connection,” she said. “We had fun and everybody, including the crew, are in my heart forever.”

“It has been amazing with ‘Pen Pals’ because we have been talking to people after the show, and you get to hear their stories. There is a lot of people who actually start crying because the show meant so much to them,” she acknowledged.

“The show ‘The Brady Bunch’ was a place to escape, or to dream, or to actually feel like they were a part of that family,” she noted. “I think the Brady Bunch was a very inclusive family.”

“I love that people feel like they’re a part of it. So, it has been really beautiful to see and hear all those stories,” she added.

Stage of her life

On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “I’m Truly Grateful.”

Advice for young and emerging actors

For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Follow your dreams, follow your heart and do it for the love and the passion.”

“Also, never give up,” she underscored.

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, at a time when streaming and social media are so prevalent, McCormick said, “I don’t know if I like it.”

“I actually love the streaming aspect of it. I’m having a great time,” she admitted. “It’s very cool to sit down and hours later go ‘oh my God, one more!’ When you’re at home and in your pajamas and you can pause it and go get something to eat and drink. That aspect of it is nice. I absolutely love it.”

“I am so technically not savvy,” she conceded. “Also, social media is a really crazy thing. I find it very strange. I really do. It’s a great way to talk about the things you love.”

“I have to say, in many ways, I liked everything better before social media because it can be a really dangerous place. I see so many bullies on there and hurtful things, and it really breaks my heart,” she said.

“I really like finding my center and my true pure self. I feel like that can really take you away from that if you’re not careful. Honestly, so much of social media seems very fake to me and not real,” she explained.

Superpower of choice

If she were to have any superpower, it would be to “look at someone and know their story.”

Success

On her definition of the word success, she said, “Success means to be connected to beautiful people in your life that lift you up, and in return, you lift them up. These people are there through thick and thin.”

“Also, to feel love on the deepest level, and to be able to forgive yourself; to be able to have hope in your heart and to be able to do what you love. Success means so many different things,” she elaborated.

Closing thoughts on ‘Pen Pals’

For her fans and supporters, she expressed about “Pen Pals,” “The story and the writing is so beautiful. I think I want them to get connection out of this play. So often in this world, we are really not connected.”

“One of the gifts that I have in my life are words that my parents left with me. I read them all the time because words definitely do matter,” she underscored.

“These days, everything seems like a text, or an e-mail. It’s just so important to be able to look into somebody’s eyes, which we don’t get to do until the end of the play, but (Bernie and Mags) are connected through words,” she explained.

“I think they found someone that they could trust with all of their hearts, and I hope that every person finds that in this world because trust is so important,” she concluded.

To learn more about Maureen McCormick, follow her on Instagram.

For more information on the Off-Broadway production “Pen Pals,” check out the official homepage.

Read More: “Pen Pals” review starring Maureen McCormick and Sharon Lawrence.