Lyndon Johnson deliberately masks his failing health from his wife, Lady Bird, to fulfill her personal commitments.

It’s the beginning of December of 1975 at the old Morosco Theatre. Fresh from her Oscar and film successes in Rosemary’s Baby and Harold and Maude, Ruth Gordon arrives for the first read-through for a new play on Broadway, called The Story of Ruth, a stage adaptation of the biblical story of Ruth. Before and during the read-through, Gordon finds herself at odds with the playwright and producer who want to fire her. The memories of her past as well as the presence of the"spirits" give Gordon the strength and comfort to move on.

While preserving both the haunting tragedy and romance of the original novel, THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES also evokes Hawthorne's belief that new hope and promise supersede the grim despair of the past. The play is a dark, Gothic love story, which unites lovers from opposite sides of a centuries-old curse. Mysterious deaths, hidden documents and ghosts from the past surround a secret, which holds the key to a family's salvation.

While preserving the humor, romance, and eerieness of the short stories, my adaptation also evokes Dickens' love of ghost stories and his fascination with ghosts and the macabre. Beguiled in early childhood by his nursemaid's bewitching stories of giants and demons, ghosts and monsters, Charles Dickens harbored all his life a fascination with ghosts, apparitions and chilling coincidence. CHARLES DICKENS' GHOST STORIES is a collection of eerie Victorian tales from one of the world's greatest storytellers. The stories are a lively mixture of comedy, pathos, and the supernatural, including The Signalman, The Bagman's Uncle, The Queer Chair, and The Portrait-Painter's Story.

The play, ACCORDING TO JOHN, opens with a solemn funeral service, deceased unknown.

The scene changes to Protestant Bishop Richard Andrews being counseled by his attorney, Steven Land, the morning of his heresy trial. Andrews has been accused by a small group of conservative bishops for ordaining Larry Schofield, a gay man, to the priesthood. After Schofield left his office Andrews had pondered the scriptures of John, the basis for a sermon he was writing.

The scene changes again and we see John dragged by guards to an Inquisitor who wants to hear John’s recount of Jesus’ life. Reluctant at first, John is beaten into submission. John recalls various miracles he witnessed by Jesus. He notes that the Pharisees, who mistrusted Jesus, become even more frustrated after these feats and, along with the Jewish leadership and chief priests, decide to kill Jesus.

As Andrews’ heresy trial is about start, he’s approached by one of his accusers offering him a settlement. Andrews refuses the offer. In private, he reveals to his wife that wants redemption from his past actions.

In the second act, Andrews’ trial begins.

As the arguments against Andrews are heard, John recalls the final days of Jesus’ life.

The trial ends and Andrews is exonerated. Later, Andrews watches Schofield officiate at a communion. Suddenly, gunshots are heard and Andrews and Schofield fall.

The final scene is the play’s opening, the deceased is revealed to be Larry Schofield.