Auckland Theatre Company Presents 'Girls & Boys'

After stunning audiences in London and New York, Auckland Theatre Company presents Girls & Boys by Dennis Kelly, with a devastatingly powerful solo performance from West End star turned ‘Kiwi’ Beatriz Romilly, and directed by Eleanor Bishop, on at the ASB Waterfront Theatre, September 10-22.

A raw and unflinching drama, Girls & Boys tells the story of a love that goes terribly wrong and will have you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning. The ending will leave you questioning whether it’s ever possible to truly know the people we love. If love is a battlefield, then this is a war story.

Tony Award-winning British playwright Dennis Kelly (Matilda The Musical, Utopia), has gripped audiences in London and New York with this provocative take on gender politics as a family unravels at the seams.

From starring on London’s West End to Auckland Theatre Company’s stage, Beatriz Romilly (King Lear, Grand Horizons, 2.22 A Ghost Story) will take on the funny, gutsy, messy woman who falls head over heels for a sexy, charismatic man who imports European antiques. This demanding role, previously performed by Carey Mulligan, showcases what exceptional talent is required to bring these stories to life on stage.

At first, they can’t get enough of each other. “Our love was intense. Actually, it was insane.” But, as the heat of their passion gives way to the banalities of domestic life, her star continues to rise while his starts to fade.

As her story unfolds, from being madly in love, through frazzled interactions with her two squabbling kids, to confessional moments of heart breaking intimacy, what went wrong with their relationship is slowly revealed.

This September, Auckland audiences will experience world-class theatre crafted by some of Aotearoa’s leading theatre makers under the direction of Eleanor Bishop (Gravity and Grace, Heartbreak Hotel, Yes Yes Yes, BOYS), and including innovative design by Tracy Lord Grant (Grand Horizons, The Audience, Billy Elliot the Musical), Filament Eleven 11 (Hyperspace, Things That Matter, Basmati Bitch)and music composition by Victoria Kelly (Requiem).

Girls & Boys is like a contemporary Greek tragedy that, with shattering effect, explores the dark shadow on the far side of love and asks what any one of us is capable of. Girls & Boys is an extraordinary one-woman show that will stay with you long after the curtains close.

Dennis Kelly is a British writer for theatre, television and film. Work for theatre includes Debris, Osama the Hero, After the End, Love and Money, Taking Care of Baby, DNA, Orphans, The Gods Weep, The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas, Girls & Boys and The Regression. For television, he has written and created Utopia, Pulling (co-written, co-created), The Third Day (co-created) and Together, and for film he wrote the screenplay for Black Sea. He also wrote the book for the Olivier and Tony Award-winning Matilda: The Musical and in 2010 DNA became a set text on the GCSE English Literature syllabus.

Content Advice: Offensive language, graphic descriptions of family violence, murder and suicide, sexual references, and depiction of psychological distress. Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age.

Girls & Boys

By Dennis Kelly

September 10 – 22

ASB Waterfront Theatre

Duration: 1 hour and 50 mins

Tickets available at https://www.atc.co.nz/auckland-theatre-company/2024/girls-boys/

Direction: Eleanor Bishop

Design: Tracy Grant Lord, Filament Eleven 11

Music Composition: Victoria Kelly

Mime Direction: Barnie Duncan

Cast: Beatriz Romilly

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