‘Becky Shaw’ set to bring touch of class to White Box

Probationary Theatre Company seeks to explore the uncomfortable relationship between social status and dating when they bring Gina Gionfriddo’s “Becky Shaw” to the stage starting Friday.

A loose adaptation of “Vanity Fair” by William Makepeace Thackeray, the play is the story of a modern day social climber, according to director Desiree Munro.

The eponymous character, a down-at-heel 35-year-old temp, is sent on a blind date with a successful stockbroker, who immediately identifies her someone not in his league, and the play explores the fallout from that encounter.

“Gionfriddo believes that the last taboo to be broken is class, social class,” said Munro.

“No one talks about the fact that, in America especially, there is a very distinct class system, and nowhere is this more prevalent than when we are looking for a partner.”

Munro said the play asked how much of our choices are for love and how much are for lifestyle, pointing out that people are often happy to give sometimes blunt personal reasons for our choices, but that more material ones are almost taboo.

“We are very uncomfortable saying that they don’t earn a very high salary and they are not very likely to earn one or their family are all white trash ... we just don’t come out and say those things, even though that must be why certain people are rejected and other people are chosen.”

Disability is also touched on. When one character asks her mother why she is going out with such a loser, she replies that her multiple sclerosis leaves her with few options.

“It talks about how illness knocks you down the rankings of class and social mobility as well as physical mobility,” said Munro, who added that the role was an interesting challenge for actress Amber Green.

“She’s had fun playing around with portraying a character that’s 30, 40 years her senior and carrying a cane, but she is doing a fabulous job,” she said.

Gionfriddo writes for television as well as the stage, with most of her work on mainstream detective shows such as “Law and Order,” but Munro said that the play was not overly black in its humor.

“It’s definitely not dark at all. It was originally a romantic comedy but I think it’s more of an unromantic comedy. It takes the romance out of the situation and dissects it,” she said.

“It’s very much got a sitcom feel to it. You get to know the characters very well very quickly and so the rest of the time there is a lot of time to have jokes based on their personalities and flaws and their weaknesses.”

Munro is not a fan of her TV work but concedes that it seems to have honed her writing skills.

“In terms of dialogue and back story, I’ve never read scripts that are so well and succinctly constructed, that have such a fast pace and are very frugal with language,” she said.

“Becky Shaw” is on at White Box Theater on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. until Oct. 27. Tickets are 15,000 won and Korean subtitles will be shown.

For directions, details and booking, visit www.probationarytheatre.com.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)