Some scandals practically beg for a stage adaptation. The rise and fall of Jerry Falwell Jr.—the evangelical leader whose public crusade for conservative Christian values collided with allegations of a years-long sexual relationship involving his wife and a young pool attendant—is one of them.
Now playwright Ronnie Larsen is bringing that headline-grabbing saga to South Florida audiences with "Fall Well," a new comedy premiering June 21 at the Foundry in Wilton Manors. Part tabloid spectacle and part character study, the play explores faith, desire and the uneasy space between public virtue and private behavior.
“I was just fascinated by this story when it broke,” recalled Larsen. “I love writing about sex—as everybody knows—and, as more details came out, I realized it would make a fabulous play.”
The scandal involving Falwell, his wife Becki and former Miami hotel pool attendant Giancarlo Granda unfolded over several years and ultimately led to Falwell's resignation as president of Liberty University in 2020.
Granda, then 20 years old, met the Falwells in 2012 while working at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. Granda alleged he engaged in a sexual relationship with Becki Falwell while her husband often watched the encounters and masturbated. The kinky trysts continued for years, Granda said, with meetings occurring at hotels and even the Falwells’ Virginia home.
In 2013, the Falwells helped finance a Miami Beach hostel purchase that set up Granda as partner and manager. The unusual arrangement later became the subject of litigation, and investigative reporting into the business deal first brought public attention to their relationship.
The story quickly jumped from the tabloids because Falwell was one of the nation's most visible evangelical leaders and a vocal advocate of conservative Christian values. Critics pointed to an apparent contradiction between the couple’s private conduct and their public moral positions.
Larsen wrote the first 40 pages of the play soon after the reports, but revisited the topic more recently. The results were surprising, even to him.
“I never really know what I have until we sit down and read the play,” Larsen explained. “We read it a year ago, and that was when I realized this is really a portrait of this woman, and not just a dramatization of another sex scandal.”
In the hands of actress Sara Grant, the character came to life: “Once Sara signed on, I finished the play for her, for her voice, for her acting. Sara has really shaped the play for me in a way I never conceived. She’s created a crazy, logical, lonely, driven woman. The play really has turned into an insane portrait of the woman who is at the center of this love triangle. She’s funny, she’s sad, she’s desperate, she’s confident, she’s lonely….she hits all these layers perfectly,” he said.
But, it’s not a one-woman show, he insists, and the chemistry between Grant and co-stars Seth Trucks and Jaun Toro brings sexual tension to every scene they share.
“This wasn’t just a fling, but a surprisingly complex relationship that lasted for 12 years!” Larsen added. “The men aren’t gay, yet she’s the glue that holds them together. The play digs into Becki’s religion and imagines the struggles as she balances her faith with her desires.”
Does Larsen expect a cease and desist letter from any of the real-life participants?
“Well, I’m hoping and that would be great for ticket sales,” he said with a laugh, “but I don’t think so, because there’s nothing in the play that’s not in the public record. Falwell threw his wife under the bus and Giancarlo then turned on both of them. There were depositions and lawsuits. Slander is not slander if it’s true.”
Ronnie Larsen’s “Fall Well” receives its world premiere June 21 – July 19 at the Foundry, 2306 N. Dixie Hwy. in Wilton Manors. Tickets start at $37.50 at RonnieLarsen.com.
