Saw the San Francisco production because of the NY Times Critic's Pick review. Maybe I expected too much, but the surround-sound technology oh-wow factor wore off after a while. It seemed as if the audience was supposed to be experiencing the rush of an LSD trip without any of the danger. Or reliving a terrifying nightmare without the night sweats. It also felt like reading about meditation instead of experiencing it. Maybe the best way to experience "The Encounter" is to arrive a little loaded to begin with.
1
Wow! What an experience! What a tremendously evocative show. It will explode your senses! My wife and I went last night on a bit of a whim (shortly before it closes this week) and I feel so grateful that we did.
Brantley's review is spot on and more informative than anything I could write, so suffice it to say that you should run to see this before it leaves New York. This is a show you will NEVER forget!
Brantley's review is spot on and more informative than anything I could write, so suffice it to say that you should run to see this before it leaves New York. This is a show you will NEVER forget!
1
I was profoundly moved by THE ENCOUNTER. The multiple levels of physical and aural detail are astonishing; and yet I was not thinking about this during the performance. I was immediately drawn in by the story and storytelling. And then, post-performance, its complexity began to unfold and, several weeks later, I think about an element of the piece every day.
I realize some folks go to a Broadway show for pure entertainment. That's valid. I go to the theatre to be inspired, to look at the world in a different way, to experience virtuosity and be amazed. Mr. McBurney is one of the great theatre makers of our time who uses his artwork to ask crucial questions of humanity. And he entertains.
Don't be distracted by the cynics and haters – I encourage people to go and make up their own minds. If nothing else, you will be thinking thoughts and asking questions you did not before you entered the theatre. And you might actually find you leave with more awareness of unfamiliar cultures and for the ways human minds and senses work. One of the amazing things about this performance, IMHO, is that the audience can actually all be together while having completely different experiences. It seems to me this is an important practice for our times.
I realize some folks go to a Broadway show for pure entertainment. That's valid. I go to the theatre to be inspired, to look at the world in a different way, to experience virtuosity and be amazed. Mr. McBurney is one of the great theatre makers of our time who uses his artwork to ask crucial questions of humanity. And he entertains.
Don't be distracted by the cynics and haters – I encourage people to go and make up their own minds. If nothing else, you will be thinking thoughts and asking questions you did not before you entered the theatre. And you might actually find you leave with more awareness of unfamiliar cultures and for the ways human minds and senses work. One of the amazing things about this performance, IMHO, is that the audience can actually all be together while having completely different experiences. It seems to me this is an important practice for our times.
5
I totally loved this show. It was thrilling, moving, captivating, and I have been thinking about it ever since. I loved sitting in the dark with all those people, whilst we all were being spoken to directly in our own ears - I found this a really powerful experience, and for me this was the whole point - our common humanity, what unites us. I was totally swept up in the story and the explorations of time, space, communication, the mind. I saw it twice in fact. Recommended.
4
I'm astounded that so many below seemed to think The Encounter was mediocre or boring. I guess it's not for everyone (as you may read into some of these comments, if you have a short attention span, don't bother going). My wife and I bought tickets based on the glowing review, and just saw it last night. Brantley's review was spot on. The Encounter was brilliant on so many levels and McBurney's performance was extraordinary. I have seen a lot of theater this year, and this was the only true transformative experience. Do not be put off by the lukewarm-to-negative reactions below if Brantley's review intrigues you, as it did us.
9
This show was an absolute waste of $158! Seriously! The man was talented indeed but every single person we "encountered" leaving the theatre was truly disappointed. Very interesting how the reviews can be outstanding. That's impossible. It was noisy and very difficult to even understand. Again, same comments from everyone. It was actually torture.
3
I was there opening night. I enjoyed it. I had my eyes shut about 90% of the time to create my personal experience and visualize all the characters. I likened it to a "high tech" version of an old radio program. I am not old enough to have listened to radio programs. It was too long considering there was no intermission. I forgot about the show by the next day. I got the ticket from TDF and was ok paying under $50 to experience it. My friend fell asleep a few times. I found the sound experience clever, but I am not a "techie". I was not thrilled about having a headset others use. I wrapped mine in a tissue.
2
Seems an awful lot like my show from back in 2007. Whisper. http://proto-type.org/projects/past/whisper-2007-08/ I love Complicite, so I guess I should be flattered.
2
NOTHING like your show, but please do flatter yourself if that seems appropriate.
I took my headphones off a few times to get a break from the sound, which I found to be irritating after the novelty wore off. It was sad to be in a big theater with all those people in total silence. The theater is one of the last places we can be entertained without the mediation of technology. This would have been a good podcast. There was no great reason to stage it and charge $150+ a head.
6
Loren McIntyre wrote about his encounter with a tribe that felt threatened, and wanted to disappear using shamanic rituals. McIntyre (pardon me if I don't get this quite right, it's been a while since I read his book) begged to participate. The shaman warned him, if you participate, you cannot leave, you cannot break the ritual. McIntyre promised he would not leave. At some point in the ritual he decided to leave. After he left, there was a huge flood and the entire tribe died. He didn't seem to make any connections or take any responsibility or have any remorse. At least, his book surely didn't indicate it.
As for the tribe, one can speculate. They were removed from the threat of encroachment, perhaps according to plan, perhaps not. Perhaps one had nothing to do with the other. Regardless, McIntyre's behavior was shameful to say the least.
As for the tribe, one can speculate. They were removed from the threat of encroachment, perhaps according to plan, perhaps not. Perhaps one had nothing to do with the other. Regardless, McIntyre's behavior was shameful to say the least.
1
Really??? Guess it doesn't fit in with the only narrative that mattered; his.
This is only true if his departure *caused* the huge flood and the death of the tribe, which is of course impossible.
2
""The Encounter" is definitely a work of theater."
Really? If it can't be experienced without the use of sophisticated headphones, and the only visual element is one actor creating the piece (and all the characters) in what is apparently supposed to be a recording booth, it sounds far more like a 2 hour audiobook, listened to by hundreds of people simultaneously, at roughly 20 times the price.
Really? If it can't be experienced without the use of sophisticated headphones, and the only visual element is one actor creating the piece (and all the characters) in what is apparently supposed to be a recording booth, it sounds far more like a 2 hour audiobook, listened to by hundreds of people simultaneously, at roughly 20 times the price.
6
If you saw it, as I did as well as the reviewer, I'm sure you'd change your mind about its theater bonafides.
3
Having had the great good fortune of seeing The Encounter in previews, I would like to thank the brilliant Ben Brantley for his review of a theatrical experience almost impossible to review. With nothing to compare it to, he somehow manages to encapsulate the essence of this singular and intensely powerful performance, which literally becomes part of the observer, now and forever. At the risk of verging on the sentimental, I would add that the creativity involved--both human and technological--are both deeply uplifting and inspirational. And just when the present political climate made us fear for the future of mankind..
7
This production was just...boring. After the initial integue ingenious use of sound wore off, it felt ridiculously long. And as we were leaving, almost all the comments I heard were of a similar vein. I think it would make an EXCELLENT podcast. But not for for the stage.
3
This critic really needs to get out more--the head phone technology he finds "astonishing" has been commonplace for decades. "Walk across your brain" is simply a pretentious way of saying you sometimes hear sound in one ear, then the other, then both.
Seeing this show was similar to listening to a mediocre National Geographic podcast--the story is overly long and boring, dragged out by multiple silly interludes of his daughter interrupting him, and the staging is minimalist--this may be an effort at seeming avant garde, but it adds to the boredom.
Worse yet, it is 2 hours long without an intermission, which combines with the lack of content and the eventually uncomfortable headphones to be a tiresome experience.
The Emperor has no clothes: the Times critics' and some theatergoers' adoration of all things British and most things minimalist is similar to the Williamsburg hipster drinking his soy latte while wearing a Manchester United scarf and pontificating.
Seeing this show was similar to listening to a mediocre National Geographic podcast--the story is overly long and boring, dragged out by multiple silly interludes of his daughter interrupting him, and the staging is minimalist--this may be an effort at seeming avant garde, but it adds to the boredom.
Worse yet, it is 2 hours long without an intermission, which combines with the lack of content and the eventually uncomfortable headphones to be a tiresome experience.
The Emperor has no clothes: the Times critics' and some theatergoers' adoration of all things British and most things minimalist is similar to the Williamsburg hipster drinking his soy latte while wearing a Manchester United scarf and pontificating.
9
Very well said. The interruptions of his child were unnecessary. Only useful to stroke the performers ego & remind us HE'S just as important as the story of Loren.
2
Oh please don't be so patronising and presumptuous. Liking something British is neither here nor there. " Jog on" is the expression that comes to mind.
2
How interesting that after publication of an illuminating review by Mr. Brantley not a single comment has been posted by readers to date. Perhaps this gives credence to one of the philosophical ideas introduced in the drama that "language does not need words" and in their silence there is no substitute for the theater experience itself. This particular performance also raise the question 'where to begin' with a report amplifying another concept presented that "time has more than one direction." Technology and financial considerations still have a way to go to enable a global village to be present at an event like this absent physical transport to London or New York.
"How interesting that after publication of an illuminating review by Mr. Brantley not a single comment has been posted by readers to date"--actually, like The Encounter itself, it is not at all interesting that no comments had been posted when you composed your comment--the Times moderates posts to avoid the posting of spam, obscenity and bigotry, and that process often results in posts not appearing on the day they were written.
I saw this in Edinburgh at its debut in 2015. It is still etched in my brain. Totally riveting.
10
Fantastic display of energy and emotion. I recommend all theatre lovers to see this play and Enjoy the marvelous technique of the production new th concepts it leaves us with. We are all responsible for the creration of a greater human. Love humanity and personality consist
3
The Encounter is like no other piece of theatre anyone has ever seen. Utterly brilliant, original and unforgettable.
10