Saw the show tonight with my husband. I thought it was brilliant, I will be thinking about this production for a long time. I am a senior citizen, a native New Yorker. I see almost every Broadway show. This production did what other shows did not. Prodded me to review the history of Northern Ireland. I am also researching the IRA's role in history; they did what other opposed groups did to force change to improve the future for their children. They revolted and plotted and caused grief and many of the Irish suffered the consequences of fighting what they believed was an honorable war against an oppressive regime. The personal drama was also stirring. The children were excellent.
I respect the opinions of those who praise this play, but I found it good, not great. I thought it lacked the substance to justify its 3 hour length; received too much praise based on simply having a large cast and a live goose; and much of the plot was either predictable or improbable.
Over the years I have found Mr. Brantley more often overpraises British productions than American plays. I usually find the acting in British plays excellent, but the playwrighting I often find overhyped.
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Saw it for the 1st time over Memorial Day weekend. Powerful, intense but with light-hearted moments & humor. Some mystery as well - who were all the people and how related to each other? The answer rolled out slowly adding an air of mystery.
But the accents - some performers seemed to slip back into American english, some put on accents unidentifiable as Irish (or any other accent). The mix was strange and kept my brain struggling to interpret them, whereas if it'd been a constant of true Irish accents I would've adjusted and understood, as happened in other plays.
Nevertheless, was intoxicated by this play. Just wish there'd be more of this caliber on Broadway, which has devolved into formulaic musicals.
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Apparently the new cast has improved since I saw them after they'd been doing the show for about a week. At that time, the accents were a mess, and the ensemble was a shambles. I spent the long evening concentrating on the excellent work of the few actors who had control of their parts, and shaking my head at those who hadn't yet figured out how to play their rural Northern Irish characters with any hint of complexity or understanding. I appreciate papers waiting until after previews to review a show, but putting an unprepared cast on stage and not reviewing this new cast because they are ostensibly in "previews" is unfair to audiences.
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@queryious I've been avoiding the production because of the accents I fear I will have to endure. Suffering through Billy Elliott and War Horse and several other shows have put the fear of God in me to have to endure an evening accent torture. Surely in this day and age it should be simple to research the required accent. At least watch "Derry Girls" on Netflix to get a bog's notion of the NI accent.
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I had the good fortune to see this play with the original cast last November. All I could feel as I watched was that I was in the presence of something very fine. If there is one show to see before it closes, make it this one.
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This shtick, about imagining The Ferryman's investors reacting at the after-party as their show about The Troubles wins everything, will be obsolete in a few weeks. I'm running out of different versions anyway.
"Tap Your Troubles Away" Rita Moreno here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzj54w6LiKU
but maybe for the last time? And it does give a moment to recall the old thought about Ms. Moreno that also somehow sums up the love-hate feeling about the weird season, that "The enchanting Ms. Moreno has never passed up an opportunity to cheerfully complain about her wonderful good fortune."
From this ticket buyer: Such an average often disappointing season, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for anything. (I'll admit it, I paid premium once. And my FICO score is still OK.)
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I was just slathering praise on this production out side of HB studio with members of my acting class. Two people had seen it with the original cast and I had seen it with the mostly American cast. I just cannot thank the theater Gods enough for this stunning and rich, rich inclusive experience. I cannot adequately describe how my passion for detail, in acting, directing and sets was satiated as never before. I had to tear myself away, but with an open ear, from the action to adore the set from time to time and discover more and more things on it, and I swooned over the crates and boxes under the stairs and how particular they seemed. I saw an interview with one of the young actors on you tube and he said there were things on the set which could not even be seen by the audience but were there just for the actors. I would truly like to explore the set on stage for an hour. The cast was so achingly wonderful, so glad our actors were up to the task and more. And when reading about the original production I wanted to go, just to see the goose, and was kinda sad that the article said that they had to put mud on the goose and on the actor carrying her, and the costume would have to be washed every night, but the goose cleaned herself off. I was relieved to see the goose did not have mud on her at the performance I saw. It did not seem fair she had to clean off mud she had not had the fun of running in.
This play changes you. It does.
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"It did not seem fair she had to clean off mud she had not had the fun of running in." - I'm totally serious, cd: This is one of the most beautiful expressions of empathy that I've heard. Thank you for that thought, which I found myself staring at as it applies to everyone. This helps to not forget that to every creature, significant to us or not, their life is as important to them as our own life is to us.
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@cheerful dramatist, in case you missed it, there's a current Critics notebook article on animals onstage.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/theater/animals-in-plays.html
The actors choose to be there (well, at least I hope the young child actors made the choice without feeling forced), but clearly the animals had no say. The one that comes to my mind is the dog in “Breakfast at Tiffany's," who likely didn't get why all the attention and pampering for the show's sadly brief run, and then nothing.
It really is the best play on Broadway. Don't miss it, because with a cast this big (not to mention the fauna) it's unlikely to be revived in our lifetimes.
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The Ferryman is the best new play since August:Osage County. It is powerful entertainment. This production is impeccably acted, directed and produced. It's delightful to see some Broadway favorites in these less typical roles.
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I've seen The Ferryman three times now, and this play really does get better every time, with the ending always as stunning as ever. Try to see it before it closes...
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A stunning play. Powerful and poignant at the same time. A great theatrical achievement for Mr. Butterworth, director Sam Mendes and their talented companies. Saw it in London, again on Broadway last Fall. I hear the new American cast is superb. Anyone who loves a great play, what theatre can be, what it aspires to be, the final curtain made me burst into tears... should get to the Jacobs before July 7.
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