{"id":28409,"date":"2018-10-13T15:50:15","date_gmt":"2018-10-13T19:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/?p=28409"},"modified":"2018-10-14T09:07:34","modified_gmt":"2018-10-14T13:07:34","slug":"review-becky-shaw-a-tidal-pool-of-shifting-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/13\/review-becky-shaw-a-tidal-pool-of-shifting-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: ‘Becky Shaw’ – A Tidal Pool of Shifting Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Alan Sherrod<\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A<\/span><\/p>\n

good piece of theatre always keeps its audience guessing, a bit off balance as it were, exploring a narrative hallway of doors left there by the playwright. Becky Shaw<\/i><\/strong>, a 2008 comedy by Gina Gionfriddo that opened Thursday evening in the Lab Theatre of the Clarence Brown, has just that effect on its audience. Gionfriddo has built her tale around the personal relationship landscape of five characters\u2014a tale that ebbs and flows in this superb production like a tidal pool of shifting perspectives on sex, friendship, life ethics, marriage, and emotional journeys.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gionfriddo uses maybe two-thirds of Act I in setting up a fairly complex narrative with a carefully revealed exposition twisted around some razor-sharp banter that should intrigue any theatregoer. Director David Ratliff<\/b> has given this setup plenty of breathing room, allowing the obvious\u2014and not so obvious\u2014character traits to percolate to the surface. We meet the 30-something Suzanna (Danielle Pressley<\/b>), a psychology doctorate student, in an ongoing state of angst over her father\u2019s recent death and her MS-afflicted mother\u2019s own issues with money and health crises. Suzanna\u2019s adopted brother, the acerbic Max (Mark Jennings<\/b>), now a successful money manager, is part of this equation, dealing with the family finances and the quasi-siblings\u2019 past and present romantic attraction.<\/span><\/p>\n

This extended set-up builds a marvelous sense of anticipation for the entrance of the title character, Becky (Meg Sutherland<\/b>). Max, a confirmed \u201cshort-timer\u201d relationship-wise, has been set up on a date with Becky by Suzanna and her new husband, Andrew (Curtis Bower<\/b>). A cleverly drawn character, Becky arrives at their apartment somewhat overdressed in a pink party dress. Equal parts nervous, self-conscious, down on her luck, and lacking confidence, Becky is obviously not the ideal date for the sharp-witted, cynical Max, a fact that he does not hesitate in making perfectly clear. And, not surprisingly, their date does not go as planned, we discover, ending in a robbery, the police, unfortunate sex, and rejection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Meg Sutherland & Curtis Bower in ‘Becky Shaw’ – Photo: Brynn Yeager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s marvelous about Sutherland\u2019s subtle portrayal of Becky is that she is much more complicated than what she seems. Lured into feeling sympathy for sad-sack Becky, the audience is then fair game for Gionfriddo\u2019s twists and Sutherland\u2019s surprising disclosures, left to second guess that sympathy in face of Becky\u2019s shards-of-broken-glass personality.<\/span><\/p>\n

The audience must also investigate their shifting feelings for Suzanna and Max. Pressley paints the vacillating Suzanna with a fine articulate brush, ultimately being the real target for sympathy, oddly enough. One feels for the tentative relationship she has with her new husband. Yet their pairing, even explained as a quickie Las Vegas wedding, does seem a little contrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gionfriddo has put a substantial amount of depth into Max\u2019s distasteful personality flaws and demeanor, a depth that Jennings mines in deliciously agonizing detail. While one admires Max\u2019s logic and business savvy, it\u2019s simply impossible to like him. And, although you may want to sympathize, Jennings makes sure we know he has made his own bed out of his tortured past.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Bonny Baker Pendleton & Danielle Pressley in ‘Becky Shaw’ – Photo: Brynn Yeager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The playwright has given the character of Suzanna\u2019s mother, Susan (Bonny Pendleton<\/b>), the role of commentator on the ethics of marriage and relationships. In some other play, Susan may have been a deus ex machina, arriving to supply wisdom, nice dinners, and financial support. In this play, such intervention means little more than a yes or no\u2014a bandaid, as it were\u2014hardly the guidance that Max and Suzanna could use. Pendleton senses this and delivers her lines and pronouncements with a flowing grandeur and confidence that place her at the apex of the dramatic\u00a0 <\/span>familial triangle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rebecca Johnson<\/strong>\u2019s simple set of cityscape backings and furniture was the perfect environment for the relationship dramatics, an environment given a subtly soft ambiance by Collin Hall<\/strong>\u2019s lighting. Kate Samayoa<\/strong>\u2019s distinctive costume choices seemed to directly define each character\u2019s appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

This Lovers and Madmen production of Becky Shaw<\/i> continues at the CBT\u2019s Lab Theatre through October 21. Tickets and Information<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alan Sherrod   A good piece of theatre always keeps its audience guessing, a bit off balance as it were, exploring a narrative hallway of doors left there by the playwright. Becky Shaw, a 2008 comedy by Gina Gionfriddo that opened Thursday evening in the Lab Theatre of the Clarence Brown, has just that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22],"tags":[1020,156,1022,1021],"class_list":["post-28409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-becky-shaw","tag-clarence-brown-theatre","tag-gina-gionfriddo","tag-lovers-and-madmen"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CSB_0004_72px.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96TJ0-7od","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31310,"url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/08\/clarence-brown-theatre-adds-seats-to-sold-out-run-of-a-christmas-carol\/","url_meta":{"origin":28409,"position":0},"title":"Clarence Brown Theatre Adds Seats To Sold-Out Run Of ‘A Christmas Carol’","author":"Alan Sherrod","date":"December 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Clarence Brown Theatre had played it safe in selling seats for its new production of 'A Christmas Carol', building in social-distancing to the seat allocation for each performance. Effective immediately, however, CBT has made some re-calculations and have freed up additional seats for many of the remaining performances. Check here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CBT_Present.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CBT_Present.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CBT_Present.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CBT_Present.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CBT_Present.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32391,"url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/19\/review-men-on-boats-at-clarence-brown-old-history-new-perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":28409,"position":1},"title":"Review: ‘Men on Boats’ at Clarence Brown \u2013 Old History, New Perspective","author":"Alan Sherrod","date":"March 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"BY ALAN SHERROD \u00a0 On its most basic level, the Jaclyn Backhaus play, Men on Boats, which opened Friday evening in the Lab Theatre of the Clarence Brown, is a retelling of the 1869 exploratory journey made by John Wesley Powell and a crew of nine, down the Green River\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/CBTmen-on-boats-cbt.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/CBTmen-on-boats-cbt.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/CBTmen-on-boats-cbt.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/CBTmen-on-boats-cbt.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/CBTmen-on-boats-cbt.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/CBTmen-on-boats-cbt.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31008,"url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2021\/06\/28\/clarence-brown-theatre-returns-to-live-performances-with-its-2021-22-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":28409,"position":2},"title":"Clarence Brown Theatre Returns To Live Performances With Its 2021-22 Season","author":"Alan Sherrod","date":"June 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For even casual observers, it has been obvious that live performance theatre\u2014from Broadway to community efforts\u2014has been one of the greatest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing precautions. As vaccinations have reduced the present danger of serious illness, performance organizations are shaking off the dust and slowly announcing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CBT_BlitheSpirit_BrynnYeager.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CBT_BlitheSpirit_BrynnYeager.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CBT_BlitheSpirit_BrynnYeager.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CBT_BlitheSpirit_BrynnYeager.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34012,"url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/25\/review-cbts-a-christmas-carol-returns-and-so-should-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":28409,"position":3},"title":"Review: CBT’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Returns \u2014 And So Should You","author":"Alan Sherrod","date":"November 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The current Clarence Brown Theatre version of A Christmas Carol which opened this past weekend is an adaptation by Edward Morgan and Joseph Hanreddy with music by John Tanner. This popular version first appeared on the CBT stage in 2016 and returned for three more years before the pandemic closure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cbt-acc1-2024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cbt-acc1-2024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cbt-acc1-2024.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cbt-acc1-2024.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cbt-acc1-2024.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32211,"url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/05\/opening-this-week-alice-childress-trouble-in-mind-at-clarence-brown-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":28409,"position":4},"title":"Opening This Week: Alice Childress’ ‘Trouble in Mind’ at Clarence Brown Theatre","author":"Alan Sherrod","date":"February 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress Directed by Marti Gobel Clarence Brown Theatre on the UT Campus Previews: Wednesday and Thursday, February 8 and 9 Opens: Friday, February 10; Runs through February 26 Wednesdays - Saturdays** at 7:30 PM; Sunday matinee at 2:00 PM **No performance on February 11; extra\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CBT_TroubleInMine_Set.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CBT_TroubleInMine_Set.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CBT_TroubleInMine_Set.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CBT_TroubleInMine_Set.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CBT_TroubleInMine_Set.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28773,"url":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/27\/top-ten-most-read-arts-knoxville-stories-of-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":28409,"position":5},"title":"Top Ten Most Read Arts Knoxville Stories of 2018","author":"Alan Sherrod","date":"December 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alan Sherrod \u00a0 Over the last week, we\u2019ve taken a look back at 2018 and its memorable music performances, as well as the enlightening Top Ten lists from film critics Andrew Swafford and Reid Ramsey. But what stories and reviews have\u00a0Arts Knoxville readers found interesting and intriguing?\u00a0 Read on\u2014I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/UTOT_Middlemarch_prod-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/UTOT_Middlemarch_prod-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/UTOT_Middlemarch_prod-1024x683.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsknoxville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/UTOT_Middlemarch_prod-1024x683.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28409"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28580,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28409\/revisions\/28580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsknoxville.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}