Gamm to present ‘Girls & Boys’ with Donnla Hughes

Donnla Hughes, an actor, director and voiceover artist who divides her time between Ireland and the U.S., stars in the one-woman play, which she describes as “disarmingly straightforward” and “important.”

In a series of YouTube videos taped about the show, Hughes said the play is told with Kelly’s typical humor (which has been described as “biting humor” by some) and emotion. 

“Girls & Boys,” says Hughes in one of the videos, tells the story of a working class woman from East London who falls in love with the man of her dreams.

The man has two children and the woman becomes a “mom to two beautiful kids,” forges a career path for herself and life becomes “exciting and challenging and rewarding.”

Their whirlwind romance seems destined for greatness and their life is filled with passion, success, and the joys of parenthood.

But as ambitions grow and cracks begin to show, their idyllic world spirals into the unexpected.

Kelly’s play, said Hughes, asks the audience to “think quite deeply about some pretty serious questions.”

Like questions around, “Is there enough room for the innate differences between men and women and the differences that are a result of the gender we are given.”

The show has been said to grip audiences from start to finish, offering a masterclass in storytelling that’s equal parts hilarious and harrowing.

“I think it’s a play that will reverberate quite deeply with the audience,” Hughes says.

“Girls & Boys” opens tonight at the Gamm Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick. Performances will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. For tickets or more information, visit gammtheatre.org.