''Boy Gets Girl'' is a 2000

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

Rebecca Gilman Rebecca Gilman (born 1965 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American playwright. Education She attended Middlebury College, graduated from Birmingham-Southern College, and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop at the Univ ...

. The play received its first production at the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the lan ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 2000. ''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

, on March 13, 2000. The cast was as follows: *Theresa Bedell - Mary Beth Fisher *Tony Ross - Ian Lithgow *Howard Siegel -

Matt DeCaro Matt DeCaro is an American film and stage actor. He is arguably best known for his role as Correctional Officer Roy Geary on the television series '' Prison Break''. Biography DeCaro has appeared in numerous American television series, includi ...

*Mercer Stevens - David Adkins *Harriet - Shayna Ferm *Det. Madeline Beck - Ora Jones *Les Kennkat -

Howard Witt Howard Witt (March 13, 1932 – June 21, 2017) was an American character actor and Chicago native who began his acting career in the Goodman Theatre. Early years Witt attended Von Steuben High School and was a drama student at Goodman School ...

Directed by Michael Maggio, the sets were by Michael Philippi, costumes by Nan Cibula Jenkins, lights by John Culbert, sound by Michael Bodeen and Rob Milburn and 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. (They even find a couple things in common such as both being from the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

.) 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

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, 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, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 Productions

* Goodman Theater,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 2000. Directed by Michael Maggio; starring Mary Beth Fisher. *

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

January 30, 2001 to April 8, 2001, presented by the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has gr ...

. Chicago cast and production, supervised by Lynne Meadow." ''Boy Gets Girl'' Off-Broadway Listing"
lortel.org, accessed May 20, 2015 * Royal Court Theatre,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 2001. Directed by

Ian Rickson Ian David Rickson (born 1963) is a British theatre director. He was the artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006.

; starring Katrin Cartlidge. *

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

May 2003 produced by AboutFACE Theatre Company at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght. * Northwestern University, Evanston,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, 2006. Directed by Jason Tyne-Zimmerman *

Black Swan State Theatre Company Black Swan State Theatre Company (formerly The Black Swan Theatre Company) is Western Australia's state theatre company. It runs an annual subscription season in Perth at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, tours its productions reg ...

, 2012. Directed by Adam Mitchell * Wind Mill Grass Theatre, Hong Kong, 2018. Directed by Octavian Chan

Awards and nominations

* 2001

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

Nomination, John Gassner Award, Rebecca Gilman * 2001

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

: ** Outstanding Actress, Mary Beth Fisher (nominee) ** Outstanding Featured Actor, Howard Witt (nominee) * 2002 Olivier Award for Best New Play (nomination)"Olivier Awards, 2002"
olivierawards.com, accessed May 20, 2015

References

{{reflist

External links

subscription required) * ttp://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,11712,704721,00.html ''Guardian'' review Plays by Rebecca Gilman 2000 plays