Off-Broadway hit set for Melbourne premiere

The smash hit off-Broadway comedy Becky Shaw, written by Gina Gionfriddo, a producer/writer of TV’s Cold Case & Law and Order, will have its Australian premiere at the MTC Theatre’s Lawler Studio on Wednesday, October 27.

The smash hit off-Broadway comedy Becky Shaw, written by Gina Gionfriddo, a producer/writer of TV’s Cold Case & Law and Order, will have its Australian premiere at the MTC Theatre’s Lawler Studio on Wednesday, October 27.

Nominated for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for drama, Becky Shaw is a razor-sharp blend of romantic comedy and taut psychological thriller, revolving around a blind date gone disastrously wrong. Newlyweds Andrew and Suzanna never imagine the cataclysmic consequences when they set up best friend Max with Andrew’s seemingly innocent new work colleague, Becky.

The New York Times described it as “a tangled tale of love, sex and ethics” that was “ferociously funny”, adding that it was “like a big box of fireworks fizzing and crackling across the stage from its first moments to its last”.

Obie Award-winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo has extensive experience in U.S. television, including working on Law and Order and Cold Case as writer, executive story editor and producer, and her other theatre works include After Ashley and U.S. Drag.

Becky Shaw, as well as being a Pulitzer Prize finalist, was nominated Best New Play in three 2009 New York theatre awards (the Off-Broadway League, the Outer Circle Critics and the Drama Desk).

Presented by Melbourne’s Echelon Productions, it is the first outside production to use the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Lawler Studio.

Producer Tobias Benn from Echelon Productions is delighted to be presenting the Australian premiere of the award-winning Becky Shaw.

“It was one of the hottest plays of 2009 and every US production has been embraced by audiences and critics alike. Becky Shaw is an incredibly funny and fast moving play and we have secured some of the best actors in Melbourne – Alex Papps, Kate Atkinson and Daniel Frederiksen – to be part of this production. And we are especially thrilled that the premiere will be the first independent production to be held at the MTC Lawler Studio. This is a first class venue that audiences will find both intimate and accessible.”

Kate Atkinson has been cast in the enigmatic title role, with Amanda Levy as Suzanna, Alex Papps as Andrew, Daniel Frederiksen as Max and Judith Roberts as Suzanna’s mother.

The season runs until November 14.

Bookings: (03) 8688 0800 or www.mtc.com.au/beckys