Mar. 24, 2010: The Huntington Theatre Company's Becky Shaw

FOR THE HUNTINGTON THEATER

COMPANY'S NEWEST SHOW,

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PETER DUBOIS

BROUGHT HIS OFF BROADWAY HIT,

BECKY SHAW, HOME TO BOSTON.

JARED BOWEN LOOKS AT THE FUNNY

COMEDY.

>> THE NASTYNESS THAT SWIRLS

QUIETLY INSIDE ALL OF US MAKES

ITS WAY OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF

BECKY SHAW'S CHARACTERS.

>> THEY'RE JUST UNVARNISHEDLY

HONEST, AND THAT IS TERRIBLY

FUNNY.

>> I TOOK SOME WRONG TURNS,

MAX, AND I CHANGED.

WHEN I WAS AT CLOJ --

>> I DON'T CARE.

>> THE NEW COMEDY, BECKY SHAW,

FOUR 30 SOMETHING

PROFESSIONALS ARE TOSSED

TOGETHER WHEN TWO OF THEM, MAX

AND BECKY, ARE SET UP ON AN

ILL FATED BLIND DATE BUT A

MARRIED COUPLE.

I ISN'T PRETTY.

>> WE'RE AT OUR MOST

VULNERABLE WHEN OUR LIFE IS IN

THE THROWS OF ROMANCE.

>> TRANSLATION, WE'RE ALSO AT

OUR MEANEST AND MOST

DEPLORABLE.

DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION,

SAYS THE HUNTINGTONS ARTISTIC

DIRECTOR PETER DUBOIS.

>> EARLY ON PEOPLE READ THIS

PLAY, DIFFERENT THEATERS AND

THOUGHT IT WAS TOO MEAN.

AND THOUGHT THE CHARACTER OF

MAX WITH A TOO MEAN.

AND I REMEMBER READING IT AND

THINKING NO NO NO.

THIS IS JUST WHAT'S RUNNING

THROUGH EVERYBODY'S MIND.

WE JUST DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD.

>> SO TO RECAP, YOU DROPPED

OUT OF COLLEGE, YOU'RE NOT ON

SPEAKING MATERIALS WITH YOUR

FAMILY, YOU HAVE NO MONEY.

SOUND TO ME LIKE THE THERAPY

DIDN'T WORK.

>> MAX.

>> HOW DO YOU KNOW?

YOU DIDN'T SEE ME BEFORE I

WENT.

>> THE HUMOR TARGETS A YOUNG

GENERATION OBSESSED TO THERAPY,

INTROSPECTION AND INTIMACY.

IT'S WHY THE ONLY COLDER

CHARACTER IN THE PLAY BELIEVES

THE FOUR ARE SO UNNECESSARILY

COMPLICATED.

>> YOUR FAMILY AND I HAD LOTS

OF POCKETS OF MYSTERY IN OUR

MARRIAGE AND I WAS --

>> POCKET OF MYSTERY SOUNDS

LIKE CODE FOR GAY.

>> THERE'S A LOT OF CONTENT IN

THIS PLAY THAT OLDER AUDIENCES

WILL SORT OF BE QUIET TO, AND

I FEEL STRONGLY THAT IT

DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT

REACTING WELL TO IT.

85-YEAR-OLD COUPLE IS NOT

GOING TO LAUGH AT A JOKE ABOUT

PORNOGRAPHY, YOU KNOW.

MEANWHILE, I'M SURE ONE OF

THEM IS GOING HM, YOU KNOW,

INSIDE.

>> MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE OUR

GENERATION HAD MORE POP

PSYCHOLOGY AND WE'RE LIKE

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.

>> THE ACTORS ARE THE BLIND

DATE COUPLE.

AND AS BECKY SHAW, HOOPES

FINDS HERSELF WITH A CHARACTER

AMBIGUOUS AND POLARIZING TO

THE END.

AT ONCE MISUNDERSTOOD AND MACK

MACK YEAH VELIAN.

EVEN THE SHOW'S PLACERS HAVE

MIXED THOUGHTS.

>> I THINK BECKY IS A GOOD

PERSON.

>> SHE'S A BIT OF A MYSTERY,

SHE'S EXTREMELY SMART.

>> SHE CAN BE PRETTY NASTY,

BUT SHE ABSOLUTELY HAS I THINK

GOOD REASON FOR IT.

AND LIFE'S BEEN ROUGH ON HER.

>> SHE'S AN OFFICE TEMPERATURE

ESTRANGED FROM HER FAMILY.

HERS IS A PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

AND FAIRNESS, ALL THE MORE

GLARING WHEN SHE'S PAIRED UP

WITH THE COLD, CONFIDENT AND

COCKY MAX.

>> IN A WAY SHE'S TRYING TO

FIGURE OUT HOW TO BE A SELF

MADE WOMAN.

BUT HOPING THAT SHE CAN

COMBINE HER CAPACITY WITH

ANOTHER PERSON, AND MAYBE

THAT'S A FAILING FOR HER.

>> DESPITE HIS DISTASTE FOR

HER, I THINK HE WANTS TO KNOW

HOW SHE TICKS, AND THERE IS A

SORT OF FASCINATION WITH HER.

>> WHICH LEAVES THE AUDIENCE

TO WATCH THIS STRANGE MATCHUP

BUILD, THEN IMPLODE WITH

PLENTY OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE.

AND AS THE ADAGE GOES, IT'S

FUNNY BECAUSE IT'S TRUE.

>> JARED BOWEN IS HERE.

DO THEY END UP TOGETHER?

>> I CAN'T TELL YOU.

>> WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS

EARLIER IN THE DAY, AND YOU

SAID THAT YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS

KIND A GENERATION AL PLAY,

THAT SOME PEOPLE OF A CERTAIN

GENERATION MIGHT NOT THINK IT

WAS SO FUNNY.

HOW COME?

>> I REALLY APPRECIATED IT

BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY WERE

TALKING ABOUT, THAT I CAME OF

AGE IN A GENERATION AND A

GROUP OF PEOPLE NOW WHERE

THERE SEEMS TO BE SO MUCH TALK,

THAT I DON'T NECESSARILY AGREE

WITH ABOUT INTROSPECTION AND

THERAPY AND HOW YOU TALK

THROUGH EVERYTHING AND

EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WORKED

OUT.

AND THAT'S THE THEME OF THE

SHOW, WHERE THE MOTHER IS

SAYING YOU DON'T NEED INTIMACY,

LIFE WORKS PERFECTLY WELL

WITHOUT IT.

I HEAL HAD A CONVERSATION WITH

A CRITIC OF ANOTHER GENERATION

TODAY WHO SAID SHE DIDN'T

REALLY ENJOY THE PLAY THAT

MUCH, AND I EXPLAINED TO HER

WHY I LIKED IT.

AND SHE SAID I WAS THINKING

THAT IF I WAS 30 YEARS OLD I'D

HAVE A DIFFERENT APPRECIATION

OF IT.

IT STILL WORKS, BECAUSE AS YOU

POINTED OUT, MAYBE AN

85-YEAR-OLD COUPLE WILL LAUGH

AT A PORNOGRAPHY JOKE.

>> THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO

LAUGH AT THAT THAN THEY WOULD

AT A THERAPY JOKE, BECAUSE

THAT'S SOMETHING THEY WOULDN'T

RELATE TO, AS PORNOGRAPHY,

EVERYBODY RELATES TO A LITTLE

PORNOGRAPHY.

YOU SAID THE WRITER OF THIS

PLAY WAS A PULITZER.

>> SHE WAS A PULITZER FINALIST

FOR THE SHOW.

AND SHE GETS THE SENSIBILITY

HERE AND HER WRITING IS SO

SHARP AND SO FUNNY, AND IT'S

SO MEAN.

IT'S VERY MEAN.

THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH, I

PROBABLY THOUGHT AT TIMES THAT

I WAS SLINKING DOWN IN MY SEAT

BECAUSE I WAS HEARING THESE

LINES THINKING I MIGHT SAY

THAT, OR I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY

SHE SAID THAT.

BUT YOU DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO

HOE THAT YOU'RE WITH THAT

YOU'RE THINKING THESE THINGS.

SHE HAS BEEN A WRITER FOR "LAW

AND ORDER," SO SHE KNOWS HOW

TO SHAPE THINGS QUICKLY, AND

PACING IS MUCH FASTER.

SO SHE'S VERY TALENTED.

>> SO PETER DUBOIS, IS THIS

THIS HIS DEBUT?

>> NO, HE DIRECTED ONE SHOW

LAST YEAR AND I BELIEVE THIS

IS THE FIRST ONE THIS YEAR,

BUT GREAT SUCCESS OFF

BROADWAY.

THEY'RE LOOKING AT DOING IT IN

LONDON.

AND THE HUNTINGTON IS ALWAYS

TRYING TO GET TO BROADWAY.

>> OH, THIS HASN'T BEEN AT

BROADWAY YET.

>> NO, JUST OFF BROADWAY.

IT HASN'T BEEN EXTENDED YET,

BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW IT'S

DOING WELL, AND I REALLY

ENJOYED THE SHOW.

>> DO YOU THINK IT WAS

BELIEVABLE THE THINGS THAT

PEOPLE WERE SAYING TO EACH

OTHER?

>> I DID BECAUSE --

>> AND MAYBE WHAT YOU WOULD

THINK IN YOUR HEAD, BUT WOULD

YOU SAY IT OUT LOUD?

>> YEAH.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES, AND

ESPECIALLY IN THE HEIGHT OF

ANGER WE SAY THINGS THAT WE

DON'T MEAN TO THAT JUST SORT

OF SPILL OUT BECAUSE THE

FILTER DISAPPEARS.

>> YOU'RE NOT A BLIND DATE.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.

>> DEPENDS ON YOUR

PERSONALITY.

MAX IS A COCKY PERSONALITY.

>> DID SHE HAVE HER OWN

STRATEGY, THOUGH, YOUR OWN

EGGS OF STRATEGY, YOU DRIVE

YOURSELF, MAKE SURE THE KEYS

--

>> IN THE AGE OF CELL PHONES

YOU KR THE FRIEND WHO CALLS

YOU SO, YOU HAVE THE EXCUSE,

OH MY MOM JUST CALLED I HAVE

TO GET THE WATER OUT OF THE

BASEMENT.

>> YOU IT LOOKS LIKE FUN.

ALL RIGHT.

THAT IS IT FOR "GREATER

BOSTON".

TUNE IN TO THE NEW 89.7 WGBH

AT NOON FOR MY RADIO SHOW,

FOLLOWED BY CALLY CROSSLEY AT

1:00.

TOMORROW NIGHT THE PRESIDENT'S

PUSH FOR NUCLEAR POWER.

AND CENTER STAGE WITH JARED

BOWEN, THAT'S TOMORROW AT

7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.