Theater-Rezensionen: The River (Englisch)

"The River" - Play by Jez Butterworth

This is no review of the play "The River" with Hugh Jackman - currently on Broadway - because one can hardly write a review without giving it all away. That is already the first point why I highly recommend seeing it. Here are 4 other strong reasons:

- It is a new play. It has only been staged for a limited run in London, thus if you’re up to something that hasn’t been discussed and analysed to death, this is it!

- It is poetic and full of surprises. There are so many layers you have to dive through to get to the bottom; it is likely that everyone will come up with a different point of view. It is like looking into a flowing river, what you see in it, will be a reflection of you, your feelings and emotions. (If you don’t look close enough or without focussing, you might see nothing, but then you’d have to put the blame on you…).

- It will have you in its grip for a long time afterwards. It’s not like you leave the theatre saying: “Ok, that was wonderful. Now, where will we have dinner?” You will want to discuss it with your companions or even strangers you might meet afterwards at the stage door!

- The cast is fantastic. Hugh Jackman, Cush Jumbo and Laura Donnelly are excellent and the very intimate and very special atmosphere of the Circle in the Square Theatre lets you immerge totally into their acting.

My conclusion: Go see it! Like they say: you don’t regret the things you’ve done but those you haven’t done and you will surely regret not having taken the chance to see this play!

PS Oh, and this is NOT about Wolverine! Please resist making any allusion of that kind (as I read in some “professional” reviews), because it is lame and cheap. Hugh Jackman has a lot more to offer and after seeing him live on stage you will agree, that he’s one of the most versatile actors of our times!

Circle In The Square Theatre
235 West 50th Street New York, NY 

1:20 minutes

Closing: Feb 08, 2015

Cast:  

The Man: Hugh Jackman 

The Woman: Cush Jumbo 

The Other Woman: Laura Donnelly

Crew:

 Director: Ian Rickson 

 Set Designer: Ultz 

 Lighting Designer: Charles Balfour 

 Sound Designer: Ian Dickinson 

 Original Music: Stephen Warbeck