There is cause for celebration at “General Hospital” on April 1. The ABC daytime soap is commemorating its 62nd anniversary (both the show and the fictional building itself) and the opening of the Dr. Monica Quartermaine Cardiac Wing. Though the death of Leslie Charleson — who played Monica since 1977, and died in January — will be addressed on the show at a later time, her character’s contributions as a doctor will be honored during Tuesday’s episode.
“There’s more tribute to come for Monica,” says executive producer Frank Valentini. “But the opportunity presented itself that we would have the anniversary of the hospital be on the anniversary of the show. So it’s a little meta, but I think it’s great. And then to give the hospital a reason to celebrate, that’s how we came up with the the new wing for Monica, which is a really beautiful set. It’s pretty incredible.”
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The set of which he speaks is an “airy” atrium, which Valentini says gives a “more indoor and outdoor” look and feel to the show, something he plans on carrying further into the summer. “We’re always indoors, so I’m always looking for ways to challenge the production designers to figure out a way to open it up or bring us at least partially outdoors. That’s why Sonny’s house and the Quartermaine solarium came about, because they’re very open. They have big exteriors.”
Throughout the April 1 episode, there’s also a nod to the heart to the relationships in Port Charles — including the one between Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Laura (Genie Francis), as seen in the exclusive clip below — to those who have come through the hospital doors, both as staff and as patients, that have left behind loved ones. Many are remembered on a memorial wall in the new wing.
Valentini feels it’s important to honor and acknowledge the characters (and the actors who’ve played them) like Monica (Charleson), Alan (Stuart Damon), Bobbie (Jackie Zeman), Epiphany (Sonya Eddy) and others. “As much as we always want to go boldly into the future, I think you can’t go into the future without understanding where you’ve come from, or what the past has taught you,” he says. “And if there’s anything that it’s taught us, it’s that the hospital is a very interesting and exciting place for story to be told, and the lives and the stakes in the hospital are so much bigger. So adding something that’s new, but also having it honor someone who’s been there for a while, it feels complete.”
