Becky Shaw

It is of no surprise that Gina
Gionfriddo’s play, Becky Shaw was
nominated as a finalist for the Pulitzer
Prize and stirred critics into a bubbling
frenzy during its debut in 2008. The
script itself is hilarious and engrossing
in its own right, and much of the success
of the Echelon Productions’ play rests on
this fact alone.

The quick-witted comedy is an observant
and insightful look at the messy, and at
times, devious aspects of human
relationships unravelled through an
absorbing plot – a plot centred on a
disastrous first date.

The “delicate” Becky Shaw (Kate Atkinson,
Blue Heelers and Playbox)
and Max Garrett (Daniel Frederiksen,
Fatboy) are setup on a blind date
by newlywed friends, Suzanna (Amanda
Levy) and Andrew (Alex Papps), Shaw’s co-
worker. The pairing could not be more
dreadful, that is, at least for Max who
is also Suzanna’s ‘brother’ whom she
previously had a one-night-stand with.
What follows is the wrath of unrequited
love – blackmail, stalking, and
manipulation in its most cunning and
unscrupulous forms.

Becky Shaw is chock-full of drama,
lifted every so often with sharp-tongue
hilarity and memorable one-liners. Like a
television series or soap opera, the
audience is absorbed into a realm of mind
games, and judgements will differ in
regards to who’s to blame for the
antagonisms.

Max appears the most obvious antagonist
as the financial manager whose blunt
honesty borders on merciless spits of
hurt. His penchant for calling it like it
is mirrors Susan (Judith Roberts),
Suzanna’s ill mother who’s a tough cookie
and also has the best lines in the show.
The self-righteous Andrew, married to co-
dependent, damsel in distress Suzanna,
with his hero complex sits somewhere in
the middle of the moral spectrum, and
finally, the seemingly fragile yet
infuriating Becky Shaw. She is at once
the victim, the chess player, the weak
pawn, and her role in the unfolding plot
slowly but surely begins to take shape.

The play is remarkably written and
dynamic, but one gets the feeling that
its full potential is not quite brought
to justice by the sometimes-lacklustre
performance. As an American play, the
accents falter occasionally, which was
detrimental to the rhythm and comedic
timing. Furthermore, interludes between
sets were particularly distracting as the
audience had full view of the actors
rearranging props on stage during the set
changes – the illusion of ‘acting’ is
easily interrupted due to this. Having
said that, it was undoubtedly an
entertaining opening night only slightly
impeded by loose ends, but surely the
production will only improve with time.

Some will experience Becky Shaw as
a cynical exploration of human
relationships where misery is the motive
du jour, lying is humane, and bonds
between people are easily corruptible.
Irrespective of this, the examination
into how relationships can affect the
individual is recognisable, compelling
and vastly interesting. In circumstances
like this, the ethical line is blurred
beyond recognition but such is the
complexity of love, friendship and
family.

BECKY SHAW

WARNING: Contains some adult
language