Anyone See 'The River' With Hugh Jackman?

[Gar1eth]

I thought the acting was good and I liked the set. But I'm not sure about the 'story'. I was expecting more from the little I had read- maybe a mystery- maybe some incredible shock.

 

Gman

[skynyc]

Saw this last night and agree completely. A friend who saw the first preview said that the less I knew about it the better, but I'm not sure that helped because there really isn't anything to know... None of my party were exactly sure what happened.

I did admire the acting...Jackman, while being pretty amazing to look at for 90 minutes, is just so natural. And the women were equally relaxed. Set and direction were great. But is it a memory play? A mystery?

 

The ladies behind me were part of a theater group that had obviously bought it solely to see HJ. One only knows what their expectations were because they weren't happy. And I fear that this is going to be the case for many. They want to see the Tony-host HJ or the Wolverine HJ, and they get serious, low-key actor-guy HJ. Never in a million years would they have a gone to see this play had it not had HJ, and they will complain to their neighbors for years every time HJ is in the news... "I saw that play he was in...it was dreadful...we should have seen Jersey Boys."

 

I did enjoy it. And it fits nicely in this small Broadway house. But $175 was what my friend paid for each of our tickets. She was not happy. "I could recommend this for $85 Off-Broadway, bought at the half-price ticket booth for $50...but 4 actors on a simple set for that???" And I completely agree.

 

The play has some lovely language and I suspect the "erudite" critics...Brantley, Isherwood, Cote, etc., will rave about it. But they don't pay.

 

This combined with the discovery that the Edison Cafe is closing in a month...evicted from the Edison hotel...just made for a head-shaking evening...sorry for the state of GREED in NY.

[edjames]

I have a ticket for Tuesday night's performance. Will let you know....

[edjames]

OK, fasten your seat belts, this is not going to be pretty or polite.

 

For those of you with tickets to this production, you might want to quit reading now and come back later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving from a solid SRO run in London via the RSC, the pre-opening buzz about this piece was very positive, so I went online a few months ago and bought a very pricey ticket.

Alas, all my expectations were crushed after 85 minutes of boring, mind numbing blah-blah-blah crap.

I hated it! 85 intermissionless minutes of my life I will never see again.

What were they thinking?

This is an attempt to create some sort of theatrical art form and transcends and compels the audience. It fails miserably.

Set in a rustic cabin in the woods near a river, a man, a woman and another woman reveal their relationship, however the woman interchange parts, so we're left wondering if this is some sort of a ghostly tale or other-worldly happening. The man is an avid fisherman and has brought the woman to his cabin to pursue their relationship further, however, he is devastated when the relationships fail and he is left alone. (think of this as another kind of Groundhog day!)

There are parts of this play that are very well written but for the most part it is boring. Having to watch Hugh Jackman cut and eviscerate a sea trout is like watching jello harden. Not to mention that the fish odor befouls the air in the audience.

Ben Brantley is gonna love this one! there is so much sub-text and psychological angst that he'll be in seventh heaven.

Listen, I was not alone in my opinion. The applause was polite at the end. Only a handful of people thought it worthy enough to give a standing O, while others began to flee the theater. The well dressed and coifed upper eastside matron next to me turned to her friends and said "Did you get it? Dis you get it?" to which they replied "no." Another gentleman of a certain age was leaving the theater and his friend asked if he liked the show and all the guy could do is mutter "Piece of crap! Piece of crap!

So, I hope if you see this production you will enjoy it more than I but if you're contemplating a full-price ticket, you might give it second thoughts.

 

Here are two reviews from the London production:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/oct/27/the-river-jez-butterworth-review

http://variety.com/2012/legit/reviews/the-river-2-1117948663/

[+ sf westcoaster]

Have not seen the show but have read the script and totally agree - boring and a piece of crap. This might be an enjoyable if you were strung out on LSD, but in any other circumstance, forget it. (Just my opinion!)

[edjames]

And the reviews are in...

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/theater/hugh-jackman-stars-in-the-river-on-broadway.html?ref=arts&_r=0

http://nypost.com/2014/11/16/hugh-jackman-is-wasting-his-time-and-ours-in-the-river

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/17/the-river-review-hugh-jackman-jez-butterworth

https://variety.com/2014/legit/reviews/the-river-review-hugh-jackman-broadway-1201357833/

 

Review roundup:

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-Roundup-THE-RIVER-Opens-on-Broadway--Updating-Live-20141116