It takes a widely respected, seamlessly integrated, and seriously dedicated team to produce a comedy so delightfully realistic that you completely forget you’re in a theatre, and the wonderful Huntington Theatre Company succeeds in leaps and bounds with their production of Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw. The show was clever, touching, and laugh-out-loud hysterical.  Always willing to push the limits with content and style, The Huntington’s treatment of this hilarious script was neither too labored nor too histrionic, really allowing the actors to shine in their roles.

This delightful two-act comedy centers on the relationship between Suzanna Slater and her step brother-come-one-time-lover Max Garrett.  After the death of Suzanna’s father (pre-curtain), Max, who was taken in by the family after the death of his mother and abandonment of his father, comforts Suzanna with his own brand of remedy- tough love with a little tough “loving” mixed in.  The passionate lovemaking that closes out the first scene paves the way for a spiral of blunders, be they romantic or chivalric, causing Suzanna and Max to have to explore and redefine their life-long relationship.  The catalyst for much of this exploration is the play’s moniker, Becky Shaw, a steamrolling personality whose blind date with Max, set up by Suzanna and her new husband Andrew, leaves a wave of capricious destruction that can not be undone.  While the piece is heavy on wit and snappy one-liners (Max’s response to Becky’s inquiry to if needed anything is, ‘be better at committing suicide”) it also has some extremely harrowing moments.  I was deeply moved by how realistic and emotionally charged such a buoyant comedy could be.

Keira Naughton is excellent as Suzanna Slater.  She combines a very natural stage presence with great comic timing.  There is phenomenal chemistry, both filial and romantic, between her and Seth Fisher who plays Max Garrett.  Fisher, whom I immediately recognized from my all-time favorite Huntington production, Les Liasons Dangereuses, was every bit as debonair and sophisticated as I remembered him to be- the perfect combination of villain and hero.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  Eli James embodies the classic counterpoint as Suzanna’s loving and free-spirited husband, Andrew.  James is brooding and romantic and holds his own on a stage full of huge personalities, like that of his co-star Wendy Hoopes, who is captivating as Becky Shaw.  She seamlessly switches from a person we hate to love, to a person we love to hate, and does so with such casual elegance that sometimes it is hard to decide quite how we feel about her.  Hoopes has something really special, and is great to watch- her body language and facial expressions get some of the biggest laughs of the night.  Veteran actress Maureen Anderman rounds out the cast as Suzanna’s mother.  The quintessential WASP debutante, outwardly cold and secretly wise, Anderman plays her role gracefully.  Her resemblance to Naughton is more than just in appearance, the two clearly took time to develop their familial relationship because they are so naturally in sync that it couldn’t possibly be coincidence.  Truly it is a cast not to be missed.

The production crew should be proud of the highly polished presentation of Becky Shaw – it absolutely sparkled.  Under the cohesive direction of Peter DuBois, cast and crew came together to envelop the audience in their world.  Phenomenal scenic design by Derek McLane and costumes by Jeff Mahshie are shown to remarkable effect by the lighting design of David Weiner, and the sound design by Walter Trarbach was a perfect compliment.  The beauty of the work of the Huntington Theatre Company’s production team always impresses me, and this was no exception.  Bravo for fully digesting the magnitude of the setting, and helping the audience imagine not only the rooms that the characters are standing in, but the world in which they live.  Every detail from chandelier to 70’s throw pillow, to “non-descript” latte cup was a labor of love.

Becky Shaw gives so much to the audience, and the Huntington Theatre Company provides a rich and expansive palate to digest it with.  I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

Suzanna (Keira Naughton) and Max (Seth Fisher) blur the lines between familial and romantic on the day of her father’s funeral.