Alden Ehrenreich, Madeline Brewer (Photo: Marc J. Franklin)
Becky Shaw
By David Schultz
Who would have thought watching people behaving badly could be so much fun?
Now at the Hayes Theatre, and directed by Trip Cullman with bloodthirsty zeal, this revival of the Pulitzer-nominated Becky Shaw seems even fresher than it did in its Off-Broadway run almost 20 years ago. Playwright Gina Gionfriddo toys with our initial perception of these five damaged characters’ interior motivations, then peels away layers to reveal their inner deception to each other.
The labyrinthine plot is filled with excessive exposition. The characters backstories and prior past events are hurled at the audience in the early section of the play. Suzanna (Tony-winner Lauren Patten) is in mourning for the death of her father. Her adopted brother Max (Alden Ehrenreich in his Broadway debut) meets her in her hotel room. He strongly encourages her to snap out of her extended grief, and attend to some current, serious financial issues.
Apparently, her father had seriously eroded their family’s monetary flow; the financial situation is dire. Max, as the family money manager, is well aware of the situation. Suzanna’s mother Susan (Linda Emond) has already moved on and is keeping company with her new, younger-man grifter. She is suffering from multiple sclerosis, and wants to keep her high living lifestyle still alive until she kicks the bucket. Susan is completely confident that Max will do the right thing for her bank account.
Linda Emond (Photo: Marc J. Franklin)
Early on in Act 1, Max and Suzanna have a forbidden kiss that turns into a one-night sexual situation. This seemingly intimate moment changes them both, the more so for Max. His unspoken desires are just under the surface for the remainder of the play.
Within eight months, Suzanna is married to her ski instructor, who she met on a skiing trip that Max suggested to get her out of her grief-fueled funk. Andrew (Patrick Ball in his first Broadway appearance) is by all appearances a perfect attentive husband. All these scenes rapidly unfold on scenic designer David Zinn’s black & white minimalist settings, with equally minimalist costumes from Kaye Voyce and effective lighting by Stacey Derosier. It gives the early moments of the play a slightly claustrophobic feel.
Patrick Ball, Lauren Patten (Photo: Marc J. Franklin)
The newlyweds have set up a date for Max with Becky Shaw (Madeline Brewer) who is mild and shy, inappropriately dressed, with not much in common with Max. He is caustic and brittle. In the initial awkward, scenes they dance around each other with caution and curiosity. They both head out on what will be a disastrous date that will have long term repercussions for all concerned.
This is the overly long set-up for the Second Act which spirals out of control in many unexpected ways. Susan makes her final entrance with a dazzling set reveal. As Becky’s true nature – manipulative, a little scary, more than slightly predatory, maybe even psychopathic – is gradually revealed, the family unravels even further. That sets up the denouement, which oddly does not bring closure, and leaves the audience with lingering, unanswered questions. That these conniving, manipulative selfish folks still survive with a shred of dignity is a testament to the skill and caustic wit of Ms. Gionfriddo at her best.
At The Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes, one intermission
Through June 14, 2026
