Buckle Up for the 'Shock and Awe' of BECKY SHAW

There is a lot to celebrate this spring at the Hayes Theatre. With the arrival of Becky Shaw, comes the Broadway debut of playwright Gina Gionfriddo... but the party doesn't end there! Three of its stars, Madeline Brewer, Patrick Ball, and Alden Ehrenreich, also make their Broadway debuts as 'Becky,' 'Andrew,' and 'Max' respectively. 

This production was kismet for Ehrenreich. "I was reading plays to try to figure out something to do in New York and was working with the producer, who sent me this play," he explained during a break from rehearsals. "I read the first two scenes and was like, 'This is amazing!' Then she called and she was like, 'The rights are unavailable... so don't read it.' I was so bummed. Then I found out it was unavailable because they were doing it on Broadway! I'm just very, very grateful that [my debut] is with this particular play and I feel very excited about this character and this role."

Brewer is diving into the nuances of the title character. "I love working on the text. Gina has given us everything we need, yet somehow without being prescriptive. She's given us all of the tools we need to make the scenes happen," she explained.

"I really love what's on the page. And finding the character through the words and finding the shifts in power and in emotion and trying not to make her as cringe as humanly possible, which is really quite a feat.  I'm just still trying to find some of the softer edges for 'Becky.'"

At the helm of the play is none other than Tripp Cullman. "Tripp is such an incredible leader and such a generous collaborator that we have just been sort of like in flow," said Ball. "We're like kids in a sandbox. And so  that has just felt really fun and natural. And it wasn't really until we saw the marquee that it even sort of dawned on me, the scope and scale of the moment."

The trio is joined onstage by Broadway veterans Linda Emond and Tony winner Lauren Patten.

"We've only just met each other! As we get to know each other, we will deepen and strengthen the relationships of the characters and continue these revelations," added Brewer. "It doesn't stop. What I love is the trust between actors. And as it grows and as it becomes stronger, these characters just work in a really beautiful way."

Ehrenreich agreed. "I feel like we're in this boat together in a way that feels different than in movies, because there's all these other mediating factors. Here it's like... we really have each other."

In Becky Shaw, a blind date spirals spectacularly off the rails. Strap yourselves in- Becky Shaw will make you laugh, gasp, and maybe take a break from  dating...permanently. 

"There's so much savagery in the play and so much delightful, exhilarating, acerbic stuff that happens. I would imagine much more so now than when the play debuted, people are really not used to that kind of behavior or the things that people say to each other," explained Ehrenreich. "I'm excited for the shock and awe of it. But what's really great about the play is the emotional depth that underlies all of that. It is so beautifully built. 

All three agree that the play is a wonderful opportunity to make a debut, and the theatre is a medium they couldn't be more excited to be a part of. "In my soul, I'm a deep believer in the theater," said Ball. "I really believe in the future of the theater. And I believe that it's only going to become more and more essential to get us in the room together, gather around a common watering hole, having a common experience and starting a common conversation. That's what the theater is about. I think it's something the world needs right now."

Becky Shaw will open at the Hayes Theatre on April 6, 2026.