Girls & Boys is a one-woman production by British playwright Dennis Kelly, directed by Rachel Walshe, that unleashes a tale of love, marriage, and family violence as told from the perspective of an unnamed woman. It’s a powerful and unflinching exploration of love’s highs and lows. Brace yourself for a neat mix of humor and horror that will grip you from start to finish.
The tale starts as a painting of modern love when girl meets boy and they begin a whirlwind romance seemingly destined for greatness. Their life is filled with passion, success, and the joys of parenthood. Eventually, though, cracks begin to appear in their foundation as ambitions grow. Suddenly, their nearly idyllic world takes a fortuitous dark turn as they spiral toward love’s annihilation.
When preparing for the show, Walshe said, “I do not yet know all the different ways Girls & Boys will offer up its heresies. But (t)here are a few that I feel certain await you in this beautiful, funny, arresting piece of art. Unbearable pain lives in the same place as transcendent joy. I will let the play tell you about that.”
Our leading lady is portrayed by Donnla Hughes, who is no stranger to The GAMM Theatre. She is veracious and flawless as she runs you through the gambit of emotions, telling her story in a 105-minute monologue. It boggles the mind how easy she makes it look, memorizing all those lines. Being a cast of one can have other challenges as well, like portraying the character as authentically as possible.
“I think in this situation, the one component that’s missing is, usually the other actors that you’re playing with teach you a lot, when you get to rehearsals, about the character,” says Hughes. “So I think maybe it requires just a little bit more work from me, and from Rachel … to really get to know her and decide who she is.”
“Dennis Kelly, in typical Dennis Kelly style, has a knack for writing really funny characters, so there’s definitely some entertainment,” Hughes says. “What he’s really doing is asking us to think quite deeply about some pretty serious questions around whether there’s enough room for the innate differences between men and women, and the differences that sort of are a result of the gender that we are given.” She goes on to say, “I think that it’s a play that will hopefully reverberate quite deeply with the audience. Yeah, I think it’s a really important play.”
Set designer Jess Hill Kidd provides a small platform with a large hovering box above for lighting. The only prop is a single chair, which sees its share of action. Lighting by James Horban changes in hue to signify the passage of time, leading us into each new scene. Not much more is needed when the focus is on brilliance. You’ll be sure to laugh and cry through this one.
Grab your tickets now, as this has a limited run. The GAMM presents Girls & Boys through January 19. Play is approximately 105 minutes with no intermission. Some strong language. For more information, visit gammtheatre.org/girls.