The Encounter

See it if you enjoy listening to podcasts, audiobooks, The Moth Radio Hour & old-time radio dramas; you want to witness effective storytelling.

Don't see it if you have any audiobooks to catch up on & subscribe to enough story-driven podcasts. Don't accept the hype: This is an overpriced radio drama

See it if you want a unique theatrical experience. Microphones, water bottles & an amazing performer create a perilous trip through the amazon jungle

Don't see it if you lack imagination. The events occur in your mind while you watch Simon McBurney creating the soundscape on a bare stage.

See it if you are looking for a new theater experience which is fascinating and well produced; audio as main actor; high energy human actor.

Don't see it if you are looking for a story which unfolds in a linear manner with typical dialogue. Audio overload is possible.

Also I found the show very absorbing and novel for the first hour. After a while it starting feeling very repetitious and I felt myself getting antsy. Some editing would have helped to sustain my fascination throughout the show.... Read more Read less

See it if You are open to a new theatrical experience, are intrigued by the art of storytelling, like to be challenged a bit. Performance mastery!

Don't see it if You cannot wear headphones, don't like solo shows, want big production, are not prepared for some visceral reactions, want linear story.

Also I thought this was a remarkable piece of theater, but it may not be for everyone. While I loved the simplicity of one person on an almost non-existent set, a friend who also saw this felt it was visually lacking. For me, (above the obvious wizardry of the sound), the lighting effects and the capability of the performer were enough. This play touches on challenging and metaphysical themes and societal implications, but it is also an interesting look at how we process the world around us. By design, your senses are manipulated, even as you are shown how everything is happening. Time, space, memory, reality...let yourself be taken on this ride. It's quite something.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy radio plays or want to catch up with state-of-the-art sound design or crave mystical, philosophical overtones with your theater.

Don't see it if you prefer your stories told in a linear fashion without interruptions from various commentators as well as the playwright's young daughter.

See it if the use of cutting edge audio technology will be enough to keep you engaged for more than 1/2 hour. You need a long afternoon nap.

Don't see it if You can't tolerate very loud noises piped into your ears; you like a show with both visual and audio stimulation.

See it if you like high tech productions. McBurney is excellent. Play is too long and doesn't go anywhere. I kept waiting for a payoff that never came

Don't see it if you prefer straight forward narrative.Fascinating in terms of sound/light design. I just didn't "feel" anything. Impressive, not moving

See it if you're into sound design and effects. The storytelling is interesting but it's not a play.

Don't see it if you want conventional theater. I saw McBurney's alternate, Richard Katz who was fine.

See it if you are passionate about the environment, you love suspense and are an adventurer at heart. This was an incredible experience.

Don't see it if you have a problem sitting for 2 hours straight or you're squeamish about blood.

See it if You want to see a daring, technically amazing production. The immersive sound design propels the action. Richard Katz (alternate) was great.

Don't see it if You are not open to something different. At times, slow moving,

See it if you like unusual experiences and enjoy story telling, particularly immersive through sound. Reminiscent of "My Dinner with Andre".

Don't see it if you prefer traditional plays and would not enjoy a somewhat fantastical story told in a variety of voices.

See it if you'd enjoy a gimmick that's interesting for 15 minutes being dragged out for 2 hours. The execution was interesting but the tale too bland.

Don't see it if you don't want to experience the slowest two hours of your life.

See it if want a fascinating experience in sound technology. An incredibly exhausting performance by Simon McBurney.

Don't see it if you are looking for a play, drama, etc. The is experimental theater. Too long, though.

See it if You like strange, different, odd, one of a kind, one man shows. Recreation of true experience of photographer lost in South American jungle.

Don't see it if You want scenery or a clear story. This is like a radio play with sound effects. Not much too look at except a nutty guy and water bottles.

Also Does not belong on Broadway. Would work better in smaller space. Some interesting thoughts on what is real and what is not. Mostly repetitious sounds Simon McBurney (who wrote, directed and performs this piece) makes while running around on stage.... Read more Read less

See it if you are ready for an immersive storytelling experience. I was uncomfortable & challenged - an experience I won't soon forget

Don't see it if You want a big cast & visuals; you create the visual experience in your imagination; or if you are looking to be passively entertained

See it if you love to think, are a protector or lover of Nature, or willing to listen to Simon McBurney surprise, instruct, and delight for two hours.

Don't see it if you dislike experimental theatre. This story-telling/foley artist is a one-man-show experience, informative about the Brazilian rainforest.

Also I had the great fortune to attend the last performance. In truth, I didn't really know what to expect: I'd read a London-based review that called this show "Simon McBurney's head trip up the Amazon." I came away more than satisfied, knowing I enjoyed the show more than I thought I would. Audience members are given headphones and McBurney is a masterful storyteller who crafts, on the one hand, a story about the way in which we tell stories. On the other, it's a tale about Loren McIntyre, the U.S. National Geographic Photographer who traipsed intrepidly into the Brazilian rainforest, determined to study its people. Because this was the last (and I think 117th) Broadway performance, McBurney gave a brief talk about the Mayoruna people, and those who are desperate to preserve Nature and/or find their own origins will relate to the message and this show. It's hard to decide to close your eyes and be absorbed in the story or to open them and watch McBurney thrust himself into the narrative.... Read more Read less

See it if You can accept a very different type of show.

Don't see it if You only like musicals

See it if special effects is the reason you go to the theater; you don't mind a boring plot as long as lights flash and there are sound effects.

Don't see it if you want an interesting plot along with splashy effect.

Also This is a show that has very unique special effects that I have never before seen on Broadway. However, once you get past the flash, there is not much else.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to pay Broadway prices to hear a self absorbed radio play that you could have used your iPhone with a headset to listen to.

Don't see it if don't like one man shows, experimental theatre, or an annoying use of repeat and echo effects. It's a unique experience, but sadly lacking.

Also The first 15 minutes of the show 2 hour show is a sound show and mic demonstration and have nothing to do with the story. The main story was interesting, but the use of outside characters didn't work and the end fell flat. I was also annoyed that the monitors normally used for the conductor in a musical were used as teleprompters! I realize it was a heavy sound show, but I was hoping for great acting, not reading.... Read more Read less

See it if you love science and something different.

Don't see it if You dislike something that is repetitive and annoying. You dislike one person shows. You enjoy people's stories.

See it if The story is not the point... the special effects are, but once the novelty wore off it became tedious. Audience wears special headphones.

Don't see it if You want a cohesive plot - it's disjointed, confusing, repetitive and frankly I couldn't wait for it to end. Like being inside an acid trip.

Also Special effects were mostly limited to sound coming out of your left earpiece or right one. I was puzzled why more wasn't done with visual effects.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see something extremely original and compelling. Takes you into a different landscape of your mind.

Don't see it if You don't like immersive theatre experiences.

See it if You don't mind using your imagination to fill in most of the visuals. Also see it if you are a Simon McBurney fan.

Don't see it if You're a visual person rather than an aural person.

Also I did enjoy the show, but I wasn't as transported as I had hoped I would be. The headphones were a neat trick, but after a while I got used to the sounds (which are pretty amazing), and the story wasn't enough to make this an exceptional experience.... Read more Read less

See it if Simon McBurney is terrific in this solo show. There has been no other show like this.

Don't see it if This is very intense and absorbing. Those who have difficulty with concentration or auditory saturation should avoid this show.

See it if You're open to experience & a piece of theatre that might be transcendent but for its length despite an intense tour de force performance.

Don't see it if You like neither technology nor radio theatre or expect any sort of traditional linear play or an evening of simple minded entertainment.

Also Too long by a third, it can be easy to dismiss this show as mere spectacle, or reduce it to a technical, state-of-the-art Wow, a very sophisticated bag of audio tricks. Each member of the audience wearing earphones, it’s actually pretty thrilling to have a real-time demonstration of how sound affects the brain—specifically, your brain—& how much our senses of place, time & reality depend on & are affected by sound.

McBurney’s a charming, engaging host with no curtain to hide behind, guiding the audience through the different acoustic means that will create the evening’s story and reality. There’s a collective intake of breath when he says that he’ll blow in your left ear & you’ll feel the warmth of breath — and you do.

Within this setup, The Encounter dives quickly into questions of existence, truth, & place; of our sense of living in an arguably mistaken or false reality of time & objects & of individual self.

It's an amazing, impressive performance; if only it was shorter.... Read more Read less