THE RIVER : Unofficial/ Fan reviews ( SPOILERS!)

[jo]

In a few days' time, the first preview will be staged.

Maybe we should start segregating the unofficial blogs and fan reviews as a separate topic?

It will likely contain the major SPOILER(s), so we may need to be wary of reading them if we want to see the play with all the surprises intact


Jo

[jo]

From a BWW poster --

WhizzerMarvin TrinaJasonMendel
Profile

Broadway Legend
joined:5/26/05



The River Previews
Posted: 10/31/14 at 11:03pm

I'm back from tonight's performance and the play is a bit of a mind fvck. I feel like it didn't even fully hit me until I was walking home; my brain still processing the piece, as the surreal world Butterworth created collided with the melange of costumes roaming down 9th Ave.

It's hard to discuss the text without spoilers, so I'll comment on the physical production and the acting first. The stage is set up not fully in the round, but more like Lady Day/Spelling Bee. Jackman's Cabin juts out into the center of the theater like a runway. Lanterns and candles are lit in the cabin, but the audience is kept in such a darkness creating both an immediate intimacy with the characters and stark sense of isolation.

The characters are simply called The Man, The Woman and The Other Woman. Cush Jumbo was excellent as The Woman, finding lots of humor in the first half and shifting to the more dramatic material in the later portions quite well. Laura Donnelly is the only one who transferred from the London production and was more subdued, but gave a nice scene near the end.

I've got to give it to Jackman for taking on a part like this. It's nice to see a star take a risk and originate a role, rather than show up in a safe, well-trodden revival. He's not relying on his charisma and flashy smile. He's really pushing himself and what was a fine performance tonight could grow into something great over previews. The highlight of his performance was a monologue about the first fish he ever caught.

Hugh basically never leaves the stage and each scene alternates between him and each of the women. Slight? SPOILERS ahead...


At first I thought the two women were existing in two parallel stories, but it soon became clear that they weren't. Then I thought they were each playing different women through the years at the cabin. Then I thought they were both one woman and then I was convinced they only existed in Hugh's mind by the end.

I think there's lots of room for interpretation. The play is laden with symbolism and the dialogue has lyric often eerie quality. If you're looking for a straight-forward narrative you will walk away very frustrated.

END SPOILERS



I wish I could see it again because I think a lot more could be absorbed on a second viewing. I think I'll just have to settle for reading a copy of the play, but I'm glad I saw it and I'm sure will be thinking about it all weekend.

haterobics

Any insight on the Riverbank Seating? Too close? Looking straight up, etc.?





WhizzerMarvin TrinaJasonMendel

The River Previews
Posted: 10/31/14 at 11:13pm

I wasn't in the Riverbank seating section so I can't say for sure...it seemed liked they were right up in the action, which I think would be exciting. You will occasionally have the backs of the actors turned towards you.

I was sitting in the curve of the oval with basically a straight on view on the cabin. It gave me a great stage picture, but if your goal is to be as close to the actors as possible then the Riverbank is the way to go.

[jo]

After Eight

Broadway Legend
joined:6/5/09

The River Previews
Posted: 10/31/14 at 11:25pm

Perhaps readers of Field and Stream might find something of interest in this play, since it discourses knowingly about such matters as the thrill of the catch, the use of baits and lures, and the migratory patterns of sea trout. In all likelihood, though, they would probably be happier using the exorbitant cost of a ticket to buy a sturdy new fishing rod to go with a couple of worms they could dig out of the ground for free.

Interspersed between the fishing lessons is a thoroughly moribund, gimmicky "mystery" love story, that proved not of the slightest interest. Personally, I preferred the fishing lessons. It's all portentous, pretentious, and terribly, terribly dull. Adding even further to the overall gloom is a brooding Yeats song that recurs as a mournful leitmotif throughout the proceedings. As if the play weren't doleful enough on its own.

The actors do a creditable job with the material.





WhizzerMarvin TrinaJasonMendel


The River Previews
Posted: 10/31/14 at 11:31pm

That song reminded me of some of the music in Jerusalem. I enjoyed the singing this evening- serene and peaceful, verging on hypnotic at times...

[jo]

First twitter reactions --

Cyndi G ‏@cynkns · 3h3 hours ago
@realhughjackman
Saw The River tonight .... Loved it -- having Hugh on stage is a gift to NYC!! Thanks for an enjoyable evening, Hugh!!!

*******************************************

SPOILER: Click to show

John Soppe ‏@johnsoppe · 6h6 hours ago
Hugh Jackman & Team combine compelling story of love lost & possible future romance with The River. Wonderful acting.

Why are there 3 women at curtain call?

********************************************

BRAD ‏@thebradkendrick · 7h7 hours ago
Just saw the first preview of The River in the second row. Brilliant performances by all. Bravo! @realhughjackman

David Teng ‏@tengphotography · 8h8 hours ago
Just viewed the opening night of The River w/ @realhughjackman who killed it! He was even kind enough…

http://instagram.com/p/u1wqBJhByB

Christa Skiles ‏@christaskiles · 8h8 hours ago
Absolutely loved @theriverplay and @realhughjackman. Mesmerizing. One to keep talking about and debating for quite a while.

[jo]

One of the more frequent posters on ATC weighs in -- I guess it is not fair to write a preview based on a first preview -- but he does do it for The River ( Jesse says he thinks the first preview already looks like a last preview )! And he gives it a very favorable account!

My review of THE RIVER: Hugh Jackman, he can cook too


Posted by: jesse21 09:52 am EDT 11/01/14


-“I waded, deepening, and the fish listened for me.
They watched my each move through their magical skins”

- Ted Hughes, “River: Poems,” 1983




It is no mere coincidence that Jez Butterworth’s new play, The River, began previews on Halloween. The latest from the author of the brilliant Jerusalem is an eerie 85-minute chamber piece, also about myths, ghostlike really. If one was taking in a show last night, this surely was the place to be.

While I usually don’t give a damn about spoilers, except for mysteries, here is a case of the less you know going in, the better your experience will be.

Just some basic information. Scene: a remote cabin beside a river on a moonless August night when the sea trout are running. Characters: an unnamed man (Hugh Jackman) who is an avid (obsessed) fly fisherman and his also unnamed girlfriend (Cush Jumbo) who’s along for the ride. Then there’s a second woman (Laura Donnelly). Style: magical realism or simultaneously naturalistic, poetic and ethereal. Story: Well, the two women sort of merge into one. And that’s where I stop.

Here’s what I can tell you:

•It’s a pleasure as always to see Hugh Jackman back on Broadway. This is his fourth time and his second straight play. Here he’s not taking the easy way out as when he previously impersonated a Chicago cop in a boilerplate drama.

Mr. Jackman negotiates Mr. Butterworth’s combination of blunt he-man talk and poetic flights which evoke Ted Hughes collection of “River” poems and a bit of W. B. Yeats and T. S. Eliot as well. He delivers a terrific monologue about how fly fishing took him to another plane when he was a lad of seven. The imagery is rich (one fish, he says, resembled both a bar of precious metal and God’s tongue). The actor and playwright can make you interested in fly fishing even if you’re not.

Mr. Jackman also guts a fish on stage and then prepares the entire meal before your eyes. What can’t he do? He deserves a lot of credit for challenging himself with this role which he nailed last night. (This could have been the last instead of the first preview.) And, of course, he is the very definition of charismatic.


•Like Jerusalem, this play takes place in a bucolic setting, so much richer for the folklore. The meaning of The River is what the viewer wants to make of it, I think, and I’m still wondering what to make of what I saw last night. It might be fascinating to read the play to test your personal observations (on sale at the merch stand for $16.). Suggestion while viewing: Think of T S Eliot’s phrase: “mixing memory with desire” as well as the definition of the idiom “fish story.”


•The other actors -- Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo (Marc Antony in the all-female Julius Caesar at St. Ann’s in Brooklyn) -- are very good with strong stage presence. Like another British actress new to Broadway, Rachel Tucker in the recent The Last Ship, they both possess a take-notice stage presence.
.

•The man who brings it all together is director Ian Rickson who creates the appropriate spooky mood with plenty of tension. His production team contributes mightily, particularly the set design by Ultz which depicts the woodsy cabin as a long wood-planked strip with furniture, props, but no walls. It brings the audience, seated on three sides, as close to the action as possible for this intimate play at the 776-seat Circle in the Square (see seating chart here). Rows AA and BB, labelled “Riverbank Seats” are benches (with comfortable cushions) that put you only inches away from the playing area.

Charles Balfour’s dark lighting (most of the play takes place at night) contributes mightily to the creepy atmosphere. Ian Rickson, by the way, was artistic director at London’s Royal Court Theatre (1998-2006) where The River had its world premiere two years ago with Dominic West as the man. Laura Donnelly originated the role she now is playing on Broadway.


★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

- Jesse

[ADMIN]

Could have sworn I saw a photo of the stage. By the time I located the theater seating chart and my ticket info it disappeared - where did it go? . . . or was I hallucinating?

[jo]

I put it within a SPOILER tag -- I had realized eventually that it contains a very major spoiler and should not be out there for everyone to see, unless one is not wary of spoilers!

Sorry


Jo

[jo]

jefsantamonica ‏@jefsantamonica · 6m6 minutes ago
@realhughjackman @theriverplay THE BEST Previews opening night! Good luck for the run - fabulous play and what a great cast!!

Hope it becomes even more so on Opening Night!

[ADMIN]

Nov 1, 2014 9:32:25 GMT -5 jo said:

I put it within a SPOILER tag -- I had realized eventually that it contains a very major spoiler and should not be out there for everyone to see, unless one is not wary of spoilers!

Thanks, Jo. Just good to know my mind isn't going. (I think I've got a very nice seat! )

[Is there an answer to your question (in the spoiler)? Would you "spoilerize" the answer, if there is one?]

[jo]

SPOILER: Click to show

If you have read the play, it is right in there! But it took me a third time to realize what it actually signified! Remember me babbling about my Eureka moment about the play? That was it, for me! The image is a curtain call photo, but it clearly shows the major spoiler. Someone who has seen the Opening Night preview has told me that the audience gasped when this spoiler came out! LOL - I know I am being ambiguous but the ATC poster says it is best not to know the spoilers until you see the play

But this is not a spoiler --

Hugh wears a different costume compared to the London staging! It seems the creatives on Broadway believe he looks best in a cranberry-colored T-Shirt! Or maybe it was Hugh's inspired idea to wear that for the show, as he was already thinking of the piece de resistance for his much awaited BC/EFA campaign

Hey, someone actually tweeted a lighthearted post about it --

Benner ‏@sallybenner · 23m23 minutes ago  Manhattan, NY
#HughJackman #TheRiver - despite having written plays, last night at this play about seduction all I heard were Hugh's biceps. #I❤️TShirts

Jo

[ADMIN]

Thanks, Jo. I read it months ago - in "distraction mode" while waiting for a doctor's appointment. Guess I should read it again.

Nov 1, 2014 10:09:23 GMT -5 jo said:

Benner ‏@sallybenner ·  23 minutes ago Manhattan, NY
#HughJackman #TheRiver - despite having written plays, last night at this play about seduction all I heard were Hugh's biceps. #I❤️TShirts

<funny> 

[jo]

marieastra8.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/hugh-jackman-creepy-and-mesmerizing-in-the-river/

Hugh Jackman – Creepy and Mesmerizing in The River

Posted on November 1, 2014 by NYCPAT



Hugh Jackman at the Stage Door November 1, 2014



Yes, I saw Hugh Jackman today. It was a good day, even though the weather was terrible.

The play Mr. Jackman is in, The River by Jez Butterworth, is a very complex, interesting play. A man who loves fishing is in his cabin. His companion catches a fish. He says he loves her. Yet, there are more than one of her. What to make of that? Hugh Jackman prepares a fish for cooking, opens bottles of wine, acts like a normal person, but is he? I loved the mystery of this play. Even at the end, you are still wondering.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jackman moves around the stage like an athlete. Sitting, standing, bending, sitting on the floor and getting up off the floor (not an easy thing for some of us!) are performed with grace. He handles a knife like a chef on the cooking channel.

Cush Jumbo and Laura Donnelly are wonderful as well. Mirroring each other, but with unmistakably different personalities, makes for really creepy, intriguing performances.

The River, at 85 minutes, is vastly different from The Crucible which I saw in London this summer and ran over 3:00 hours. Even a short play can be boring. Yet both plays were equally absorbing and intense. The set design of The River creates an intimate yet distant scene. You are present, but you are not a part of the actions. It reminded me of The Crucible, but unlike in The Crucible, where you felt like you were a participant in the horror, The River is more distant, but that’s not a bad thing! Not at all. I felt close to the characters, but also felt their distance from each other, which was the point.

I highly recommend going to see The River. The actors hold your attention through the full performance. I did not get distracted at any time. Except maybe when Mr. Jackman bent down to pick something up….

[foxie]

Thanks !

[jo]

Great curtain call photo but contains uber spoiler

SPOILER: Click to show

Saw “The River” at Broadway with the beyond awesome Hugh Jackman tonight! Such a nice guy and fantastic actor! Great play! Very unique in its atmosphere!

mareisco.tumblr.com/post/101545803144/saw-the-river-at-broadway-with-the-beyond

[jo]

Jake ‏@jakelsamson · 30m30 minutes ago
so I didn't really understand the river and hugh jackman completely ignored the side that I was standing on for 45 minutes in the rain

Many have commented that it is a very mentally-challenging play - ambiguous, mysterious, elliptical, hard to fathom but brings such great satisfaction as it lends itself to much debate and reflection. Someone said he was actually debating with himself about what he saw...and said that he will be thinking about it over the weekend...plus he will read the play.

[jo]

Heather Stanford ‏@nycinmydreams · 49m49 minutes ago
@realhughjackman why @theriverplay-You're a huge talent but this play sure didn't showcase it. #trytryagain

No singing, no dancing, no dramatic pyrotechnics?? Sorry, this was not meant to have the spectacle of a musical or even a showy straight play.

Hugh's primary interest as a professional actor is acting! And this is an excellent opportunity to show his talent, in material that is probably one that provokes more of intellectual curiousity! If he and the rest of the cast manage to connect with and engage the audience in presenting the themes and the subthemes of this enigmatic play and even throw out many provocative questions - then these actors ( Hugh primarily!) would have realized what they set out to do! Did you feel mentally challenged when you left the theatre ? As someone said, he subsumed his famous charisma and flashy smile behind the enigmatic character of THE MAN? What kind of a man was THE MAN ?

I am not saying that it is not right simply to prefer him in musicals or showy roles - to each his own taste. Some like musical theatre only, others prefer classical rather than contemporary plays. Still others prefer comedies or uber-dramatic material. Do you like the kind of play that Jez Butterworth wrote...or do you find it simply boring, and there was no intellectual curiousity in the material on your part? That's very possible.

As for Hugh, there is much room for his talent to breathe out in other directions!

Jo

[jo]

From another BWW poster --

Just got back from tonight's show. Honestly, not the biggest fan of this one unfortunately. I've always loved Jackman and, while he did a fine job, I left just being more frustrated than anything else. There is essentially no real plot (or at least one that I was able to follow) and it also seemed like there was a lot of time spent on just watching Jackman do different things that really didn't matter. Personally, I didn't really need to see him spend what seemed like 5 minutes preparing a fish dinner!

I DID sit in the riverbank seats. I was seat BB 231. I think BB would be better than AA in this instance. Like any show in Cirlcle in the Square, the closer you are to the center, the better. I did not feel like I missed too much, but there were definitely times where I wish I could have seen the actor's faces more. The seats are basically one long bench. There is a cushion on the benches, but the backs are just a plank of wood. However, it was great to be so close to the action, you really feel immersed in the play so that makes up for the uncomfortable backs of the seats.

Also went to the stage door after. It was probably as busy as any other time at a Hugh Jackman stage door, but the barricades stretched much further (from the door of the theater all the way to the end of the sidewalk) so it was never more than 2-3 deep. He came out around 10:05 (the play got out right at 9:30), signed for everyone within reach and seemed to genuinely enjoy talking to everyone (no pictures with him though!).

I'm more than happy to answer any other questions if any one has!

[jo]

Another mixed review on BWW --

broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend
joined:5/18/03



The River Previews
Posted: 11/4/14 at 01:00am

Hugh Jackman - PERFECT.
Cush Jumbo - WOW.
Laura Donnelly - good.
sound design - spot on.

The play - What? The first two scenes, great. After that... Dull, over written, plodding and not the faintest idea what the author was trying to say.

It is well directed. Can't imagine a bad seat. There is a scene where Jackman stands at a table preparing a meal and I was pleasantly surprised at how carefully it was directed to have him work on every side of the table equally, yet without making it seem mechanical and an obvious choice.

[ruby]

Nov 4, 2014 2:26:25 GMT -5 jo said:

Another mixed review on BWW --

broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend
joined:5/18/03



The River Previews
Posted: 11/4/14 at 01:00am

Hugh Jackman - PERFECT.
Cush Jumbo - WOW.
Laura Donnelly - good.
sound design - spot on.

The play - What? The first two scenes, great. After that... Dull, over written, plodding and not the faintest idea what the author was trying to say.

It is well directed. Can't imagine a bad seat. There is a scene where Jackman stands at a table preparing a meal and I was pleasantly surprised at how carefully it was directed to have him work on every side of the table equally, yet without making it seem mechanical and an obvious choice.

I would agree with this review.

[jo]

BroadwayGuy2 ( preceding review) amplifies his reason for his post about the play --

broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend
joined:5/18/03


The River Previews
Posted: 11/4/14 at 04:42pm

Here so the thing.
MILD SPOILERS, KIDS.

The premise is interesting. The execution was a chore to experience. If/Then does a far more enjoyable job of a dual narrative.

I understand that necessities most action being experienced twice, slightly differently, but geez... Most of the action affecting the story takes place OFF stage and we experience it as a painfully basic written monologue that reads as a combination of narrative and descriptive essay on a grade level standardized test. "You said --------. I said -------. The water was very -----, ------ and ------." Then you have listen to a different version of the same thing from the OTHER character,

What was up with the red dress? The tension about the red dress, earrings and drawing... Then we see a character in a red dress and earrings being drawn... But then all of a sudden, this is a DIFFERENT dress earrings and drawings, because this character saw them too?!? Yet we never find out the truth about them...
That final scene... Okay. This plot, as shown, could have proved interesting if he was being tactical and manipulative, but then all of a sudden it seems as though he is genuine? Clearly something more deep is going on here, but what? It is never explained. The question is left open, but with a fizzle. An ambiguous ending worked wonders in a DOUBT, spawning debate and discussion and thought among the audience trying to discuss what the true course of events were. Here, it just fizzled and you say "I don't get it, not do I want to think hard enough to figure it out." Is it a character study? Absolutely. But to what point? The author plants a tree that bears no fruit.

Is the material too high brow ( it has been described as Pinteresque with a touch of Hitchcock) or a bit too obscure?

Hmmm... it does take several readings of the play, plus reading all the speculations from those who enjoyed the play ( not just the production but the playscript itself), plus reading Jez Butterworth's two interviews ( which does give one a much clearer sense of what the play is all about) -- my appreciation has beome so much clearer now - not yet " gin-clear" but getting in that direction.

Will the final version still undergo some changes ( in the book or he dialog or just the emphasis in performances) before Opening Night?

Re his rant about the language -- I have to disagree -- the language is lyrical! Such beautiful descriptions of nature and the characters's experiences - everytime I read it, the language remains fresh and appealing to me.

To each his own, then.

It would be interesting to hear what Hugh has to say about fans complaining about his not being in the more emotionally- enjoyable musical theatre...and being in something that arouses more of intellectual curiosity.

Just wondering though - how can the performances be very good if the play is not coming across to the audience at all smiley-signs002

But hopefully all reactions will be supported by more extended discussion ( such as what BroadwayGuy2 did).



Can't wait to see the show a few times to complete my appreciation of the play and the staging and performances!



Jo

[jo]

Interesting thought --

Will Broadway/USA critics agree or disagree with the predominantly 4 and 5-star reviews in London?

England is the home of Harold Pinter ( the Nobel laureate whom Jez Butterworth acknowledges as inspiration to his creativity) and the London critics were rapt over the play. They as well as the general public consider Jez Butterworth to be the singular voice of contemporary theatre there.

Hmm...how will it go with critics o the other side of the pond ?


Jo

[jo]

On the other hand --

Scott Braun @scott1120 · 19h 19 hours ago

Totally mesmerized by Jez Butterworth's ability to use poetic language & disarming actions to make us imagine the world anew @theriverplay

Angel Liu @aliu0204 · 17h 17 hours ago

My tiny mind has been blown @theriverplay w/@realhughjackman @cushjumbo @donnellylaura1. Much to think abt & digest; seeing again in 2 wks!

[njr]

Since I won't be able to go to NYC and see this play, I hope eventually someone gives a good synopsis of it and what it all meant! This is one time I want spoilers! smiley-signs101

Nancy

[Jamie]

Nov 4, 2014 18:07:21 GMT -5 jo said:

On the other hand --

Scott Braun @scott1120 · 19h 19 hours ago

Totally mesmerized by Jez Butterworth's ability to use poetic language & disarming actions to make us imagine the world anew @theriverplay

Angel Liu @aliu0204 · 17h 17 hours ago

My tiny mind has been blown @theriverplay w/@realhughjackman @cushjumbo @donnellylaura1. Much to think abt & digest; seeing again in 2 wks!

These are much closer to my reaction in reading the play. Darn I wish I could see it...... Major sulk and boo hoo.

[carouselkathy]

I loved reading the play too. The language is very poetic.