On Monday evening, more than a dozen comedians walked into a Broadway theater near Times Square game to talk about love.
The group, including David Letterman, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Pete Davidson, Olivia Munn, Anna Wintour and Jon Stewart, were gathered for an early performance of “All In: Comedy About Love” by Simon Rich, directed by Alex Timbers.
The play is a collection of lightly adapted prose pieces by Mr. Rich, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer, that explore relationships, marriage and heartbreak. It opens Dec. 22 at Hudson Theater.
Some members of the starry crowd were part of the show. “All In” is produced by Saturday Night Live’s creator, Lorne Michaels, and features a rotating cast of high-profile actors, including the comedian John Mulaney, who is in the inaugural cast, alongside Renée Elise Goldsberry, Fred Armisen and Richard Kind. In the coming weeks, the cast will include the “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, the songwriter and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda and the actress Aidy Bryant.
One corner of the gilded bar area in the Hudson Theater turned into a mosh pit of comedians, including Mr. Letterman, Mr. Hanks, Mr. Davidson, Cecily Strong and Martin Short, hugging one another ferociously, patting each other on the back and exchanging firm handshakes.
The space was decorated with Christmas wreaths and signs on large mirrors with sayings like, “Smile like you’re in love — whether it’s with someone else or just your reflection.”
Olivia Munn and Mr. Mulaney, who are married, greeted each other with a kiss and explained they hadn’t seen each other much.
“The hardest thing right now is having a toddler and a newborn,” she said.
They try to schedule date nights as much as possible, usually a dinner reservation, but said what keeps their relationship alive is staying in.
“We will look at each other and say, ‘Should we just stay home instead?’ ” Ms. Munn said.
“That’s the best type of date night when we both want to bail,” Mr. Mulaney agreed.
Asked about the secret to his own marriage, Jon Stewart, who was wearing jeans, a New York Rangers baseball hat and a tan jacket, responded, laughing: “It has to do with gummies.”
Then he turned serious: “The thing I’ve told my wife — we’ve been married almost 25 years — and I tell her the same thing every day,” he said. “I wake up, look her in the eye, and I say, ‘Lower your expectations.’ And then I live up to them.”
“I am going to say a combination of total acceptance and total surrender to a place of serene cohabitation,” said Tom Hanks, who has been married to the actress Rita Wilson for 36 years.
Mr. Hanks also said that getting married later in life is helpful. “By the time we got married, it was like, this is the duration,” he said. “We weren’t young, foolish kids. We were already who we are.”
Mr. Davidson, who is known for his relationships with women including Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande, reflected on his dating life while drinking a $7 Coke and eating M&M’s (both peanut and regular.)
“I don’t really have advice except I guess, be patient and be yourself, and hopefully you will meet the right person,” he said.
He also encouraged single people not to look for love: “The more you try and look, the more you freak yourself out,” he said. “I think it should happen organically.”
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