Boy Gets Girl
Encyclopedia
Boy Gets Girl is a 2000 play
by Rebecca Gilman
. The play received its first production at the Goodman Theatre
in Chicago
.
Boy Gets Girl uses the story of what happens when a blind date turns into a living nightmare to examine stalking, sexism and the nature of the idea of romantic pursuit. Theresa Bedell is a smart, successful woman in her 30s, who writes for an upscale literary New York magazine. She is utterly devoted to her work and struggles with relationships.
, on March 13, 2000. The cast was as follows:
, but when Officer Beck investigates, Theresa realizes there is not much that the police can do. Beck suggests moving out of her apartment and changing her name. Despite all her efforts to avoid him by hiding in her work and opening up to her colleagues, she eventually realizes that he has and will always have control over her life. She eventually loses everything, including her identity, humanity, and will, as she changes her name and moves out of New York City
to Denver, a shadow of the woman she once was.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by Rebecca Gilman
Rebecca Gilman
Rebecca Gilman is an American playwright. She attended Middlebury College, graduated from Birmingham-Southern College, and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop at the University of Iowa...
. The play received its first production at the Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Boy Gets Girl uses the story of what happens when a blind date turns into a living nightmare to examine stalking, sexism and the nature of the idea of romantic pursuit. Theresa Bedell is a smart, successful woman in her 30s, who writes for an upscale literary New York magazine. She is utterly devoted to her work and struggles with relationships.
Production history
Boy Gets Girl was first performed at the Goodman TheatreGoodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
, on March 13, 2000. The cast was as follows:
- Theresa Bedell - Mary Beth Fisher
- Tony - Ian Lithgow
- Howard Siegel - Matt DeCaroMatt DeCaroMatt DeCaro is a film and stage actor. He appeared in the film Mr. 3000 as a reporter and in Victory Garden’s production of Symmetry. He is arguably best known for his role as Correctional Officer Roy Geary on the hit series Prison Break....
- Mercer Stevens - David Adkins
- Harriet - Shayna Ferm
- Det. Madeline Beck - Ora Jones
- Les Kennkat - Howard WittHoward WittHoward Witt is an American character actor and Chicago native who began his acting career in the Goodman Theatre.He has appeared as a guest star in many television series including Kojak, The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, The Rockford Files, Eight Is Enough, WKRP in Cincinnati, Alice, Archie Bunker's...
- Directed by Michael Maggio
- Production stage manager: Alden Vasquez
- Sets by Michael Philippi
- Costumes by Nan Cibula Jenkins
- Lights by John Culbert
- Sound by Michael Bodeen and Rob Milburn
- Dramturgy by Susan V. Booth
Plot
A friend sets Theresa up on a blind date with a nice guy named Tony who works in the computer industry. It is awkward, but not too awkward as Theresa accepts a second date. By the end of this date, she realizes that he is not right for her and politely excuses herself from the date. Tony continues to intrude further into Theresa’s life, with unexpected visits to Theresa’s office and unsettling phone messages at her home. Theresa starts to worry as she realizes that Tony knows where she lives. At her co-worker's urging, she calls the policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, but when Officer Beck investigates, Theresa realizes there is not much that the police can do. Beck suggests moving out of her apartment and changing her name. Despite all her efforts to avoid him by hiding in her work and opening up to her colleagues, she eventually realizes that he has and will always have control over her life. She eventually loses everything, including her identity, humanity, and will, as she changes her name and moves out of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Denver, a shadow of the woman she once was.
Rebecca Gilman on Tony
"With Boy Gets Girl I felt that Tony would become scarier if we didn’t see him. So if he was somehow out there, our imagination of him and of what he had become would be a lot scarier than the reality of him especially because I wanted him to be played by a very likeable actor."
Notable Performances
- Goodman Theater, ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, 2000. Directed by Michael Maggio; starring Mary Beth Fisher. - New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
2001 presented by the Manhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
. Chicago cast and production, supervised by Lynne MeadowLynne MeadowLynne Meadow is an American theatre producer and director and a college professor.A cum laude graduate of Bryn Mawr, Meadow attended the Yale School of Drama...
. - Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court TheatreThe Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 2001. Directed by Ian RicksonIan RicksonIan Rickson is a British theatre and film director. He was the Artistic Director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006, and currently works freelance....
; starring Katrin CartlidgeKatrin CartlidgeKatrin Cartlidge was an English actress. She first appeared on screen as Lucy Collins in the Liverpool soap opera Brookside from 1982 to 1988 and later became well known for her film work with directors such as Mike Leigh and Lars von Trier.- Biography :Cartlidge was born in London to an English...
. - Dublin 2003 produced by AboutFACE Theatre Company at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght.
- EvanstonEvanston, IllinoisEvanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, 2006. Directed by Jason Tyne-Zimmerman.