Two halves of a rocky marriage host a blind date, and everyone’s life spirals in the aftermath.

Becky Shaw review: Alden Ehrenreich steals the show in biting comedy about a blind date gone wrong

Two halves of a rocky marriage host a blind date, and everyone's life spirals in the aftermath.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

EW's editorial guidelines

April 6, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Alden Ehrenreich and Madeline Brewer in 'Becky Shaw'. Credit:

Marc J. Franklin

What separates toxic codependency from lifelong friendship? Is it selfish to care only for those you love? Can you rely on another person to give your moral clarity? And what the hell is Becky Shaw's deal?

Those are just a few of the questions that audience members are ranting and raving their way through while exiting the Hayes Theater. See, it's not that *Becky Shaw* has, in itself, the power to ruin lives… though, it might. The bigger issue is the realization that all it takes is a single night with a Becky Shaw (the girl, not the play) to torpedo through a carefully constructed sense of self.

Don't get it twisted: long before Becky comes along, things are far from perfect for the romantically challenged foursome at the center of Gina Gionfriddo's pitch-black comedy. A shallow marriage, a layered situationship, and boatload of baggage are just a few of the issues at hand. But you get that sense that it could all carry on for quite a bit longer. Like a Jenga tower still standing tall, despite the enduring wobble.

But thanks to a perky girl named Becky, it instead comes crashing down.

Madeline Brewer as Becky Shaw.

Marc J. Franklin

First staged in 2008 and nominated for a Pulitzer the following year, *Becky Shaw* tells the story of a newlywed couple who decide to play matchmaker. The wife invites her adopted brother, and the husband brings his sexy (but strange) new coworker. I'm hesitant to get much further into the plot details — not because the twists are crucial, but because Gionfriddo's narrative builds anticipation worthy of a detonating bomb. It ought to just unfold on its own timeline.

Anyway, the plot is hardly the point. What makes *Becky Shaw* so fulfilling is its cynicism about love and its ruthless method of hurling those frustrations at its audience.

Torturous as that may sound, directorTrip Cullman (who showed off his penchant for directing quippy interpersonal drama with *Cult of Love*) has orchestrated a riveting experience. Laughter is a constant: The five-person show is packed with snark and scathing commentary. And that's just scratching the surface.

Lauren Patten and Alden Ehrenreich in 'Becky Shaw'.

Marc J. Franklin

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

On the merit of its script alone, *Becky Shaw *is a rousing success. Not only is it deliciously, darkly hilarious, it's excitingly clever in its simplicity. Arguably, not much happens onstage, in real-time. In fact the biggest event in the show occurs offstage. But we get the pleasure of the aftermath, and there's oh so much angst and drama to relish in.

Gionfriddo takes her time to unveil her characters, flaws and all, and always leaves a little something extra bubbling beneath their actions. The cast more than delivers on the material. Patrick Ball (*The Pitt*'s Dr. Langdon) makes an assured Broadway debut as Andrew, an aspiring writer with a savior complex. Lauren Patten (*Fun Home, **Jagged Little Pill*) offers surprising sincerity as Suzanna, a privileged PhD student who can't help getting in her own way as she re-evaluates her closest relationships. As her mother, Linda Emond's Susan gets only a few moments to shine — and milks every single one for all its worth, doling out wince-worthy advice rooted in real (if outdated) wisdom, as many mothers do.

Lauren Patten and Linda Emond in 'Becky Shaw'.

Marc J. Franklin

Meanwhile, Madeline Brewer's Becky is a subject of fascination: both familiar and inscrutable with a certain, well, alarming quality to her. And even when those layers do unravel, showing Becky in all her desperation, that unsettling feeling persists.

And then there's Alden Ehrenreich, who plays the part of our infuriating, unrepentant a-hole. Max is easy enough to understand: He's the kind of guy who doesn't want his dinner ruined by conversation about the Iraq war, is always down to make a quick quip about the KKK, and can't help but snipe at people's flaws the second he spots them. It's deceptive that he seems so simple, because in reality, Gionfriddo has layered a lot into the man — and Ehrenreich has squeezed yet more depth from him.

Alden Ehrenreich in 'Becky Shaw'.

Marc J. Franklin

Making a dazzling Broadway debut, Ehrenreich runs away with the show. His Max is both vile and charming, and the result is undeniably magnetic.

He's not alone in that: Everyone gets some time to shine through all the turmoil. Suzanna, despite her many unappealing qualities, is at least grasping at her ability to change. She gives us someone to root for. Meanwhile, Andrew is a sort of audience surrogate, standing outside of Suzanna's toxic dynamic with Max and wondering if it's worth penetrating. And Becky, of course, is our catalyst.

'Dog Day Afternoon' Broadway review: Jon Bernthal takes on one of Al Pacino's most famous roles

'Bug' review: Carrie Coon is captivating in skin-crawling Tracy Letts play

But at least in this production, Ehrenreich's Max is the stirring center. An emotionally stunted bachelor or, as Suzanna puts it, a "short-timer," Max prefers his relationships brief and his women held at arms length — save one exception. But even when it comes to the most important relationship in his life, Max can't quite face it head on. But Becky Shaw (both girl and play) doesn't leave him much room for running away. Despite his best efforts to resist, push, and shove it all down, emotions do start boiling over and take such a toll on Max that his angst becomes irresistible.

Patrick Ball and Madeline Brewer in 'Becky Shaw'.

Marc J. Franklin

To Max, love is transactional. And, flexing its power, the show makes you wonder... is that so bad? He decries love as a "happy by-product of use," and recoiling seems the only logical response — but when he later rants that taking care of Suzanna is like tending to his plot of land, there's a shocking romanticism to it. There is, of course, also an understanding that he needs years and years of therapy to work through all of… *that*. But the point remains: Isn't he just voicing something that the rest of us inadvertently enact?

When the laughter fades and you've wiped your hands of these utterly unlikable characters, all the upsetting questions they pondered remain. *Becky Shaw* touches something tender and doesn't stop there. Like its namesake's devious smile, it lingers. **Grade: A–**

- Theater & The Arts

- Theater Industry

- Theater Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Theater”