‘Becky Shaw:’ Bad Date, Great Play
A newly married couple finds their own relationship on the rocks after they set up their friends on a date from hell in Gina Gionfriddo’s wicked comedy Becky Shaw, a West Coast premiere that will run Oct. 22 through Nov. 21 at South Coast Repertory.
In Becky Shaw’s sold-out Off-Broadway debut last year, the New York Times dubbed it “a corker of a new playa tangled tale of love, sex and ethics [that] is as engrossing as it is ferociously funny.”
Angela Goethals plays Becky, a needy, down-on-her-luck college dropout whose one date with mean-spirited Max (Brian Avers) sets off shockwaves in the lives of her colleague Andrew (Graham Michael Hamilton) and his bride, Suzanna (Tessa Auberjonois). Further complicating matters is Suzanna’s say-anything mother, Susan (Barbara Tarbuck), who may be dating a con artist.
“This play really excites me in that it deals with a lot of taboos,” said director Pam MacKinnon. “It’s a play you can talk about.”
MacKinnon, who calls herself a Gionfriddo “repeat offender” because this is the fourth time she has directed one of her plays, says she saw the New York production of Becky Shaw and was struck by the way it affected the people around her: “It was wonderful to be in a room where you could really feel the audience keep switching their allegiances.”
The Becky Shaw creative team includes Daniel Ostling (set design), Sarah Ryung Clement (costume design), Lap Chi Chu (lighting design), Michael K. Hooker (original music and sound design), Chrissy Church(stage manager) and Jamie A. Tucker (assistant stage manager).
Haskell White LLP is the Corporate Honorary Producer. The Segerstrom Stage season media partner is KOCE-TV and the media partners for Becky Shaw are KCRW 89 and Coast Magazine.
TICKETS: Can be purchased online at http://www.scr.org/, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances begin Oct. 22 and continue through Nov. 21. Ticket prices range from $20 to $66. Low-priced preview performances are available Oct. 22 - 28. Opening night is Friday, Oct. 29, and press night is Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8 p.m.
TIMES: Previews are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 - 23, at 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 26 - 27, at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more. There will be an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, Nov. 20, at 2:30 p.m.
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