Becky Shaw Tony Nominees Break Down the Dark Comedy’s Enduring Appeal
The cast and creatives behind the Best Revival of a Play nominee discuss the comedy’s provocative language and surprising Broadway resonance
(Photo: Marc J. Franklin)
What to Know
- Becky Shaw is featured on The Broadway Show, with cast member Alden Ehrenreich and playwright Gina Gionfriddo discussing the Tony-nominated revival
- Broadway debut star and Tony nominee Ehrenreich says Becky Shaw’s provocative language feels “more shocking now” than when the dark comedy first premiered in 2009
- Gionfriddo reflects on the Pulitzer Prize finalist's unexpected mainstream success as the work competes for Best Revival of a Play at the 2026 Tony Awards
We’re highlighting the 2026 play Tony nominees this week on The Broadway Show! Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek and Managing Editor Beth Stevens met with the Tony nominees of Gina Gionfriddo’s dark comedy Becky Shaw, which is nominated for Best Revival of a Play. The Pulitzer Prize finalist is directed by Trip Cullman and features an ensemble of love-to-hate characters, played by Tony nominee Alden Ehrenreich, Patrick Ball, Madeline Brewer, Linda Emond and Lauren Patten.
Ehrenreich is making his Broadway debut as Max, the delightfully blunt center of the play. The dialogue is what draws most people in, especially in 2026. “My friend made an interesting point at our opening night, which is that the play is much more shocking now than it was in 2008, because in 2008 people still talked like this a little bit,” Ehrenreich says. “It wasn't as shocking. Now, our standards of conscientiousness and sensitivity are such that the things people say in the show are much more jarring and beyond the pale. I think there's a kind of shock value, and an exhilaration in a way, to hearing these characters say everything you're not supposed to say.”
Gionfriddo’s Tony-nominated language was also buzzed about when the play first premiered off-Broadway in 2009. “There was always conversation around the play about characters not being likable, so you think maybe it's going to be niche, maybe it's not going to be for a big audience,” she says. “But it's been thrilling to see that it can be.”
Watch the video below to hear more from Ehrehreich and Gionfriddo ahead of the ceremony on June 7:
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