The Encounter
Closed 1h 50m
The Encounter
75

The Encounter NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%
(637 Ratings)
Positive
72%
Mixed
21%
Negative
7%
Members say
Ambitious, Absorbing, Clever, Thought-provoking, Intelligent

About the Show

Journey deep into the Amazon rainforest in Complicite theater company's solo storytelling performance featuring innovative aural technology. Conceived, directed, and performed by Tony nominee Simon McBurney.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (637)

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89 Reviews | 21 Followers
90
Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Intense, Epic, Great staging

See it if You are interested in other cultures and/or simply want to see an incredible show.

Don't see it if You have no interest in other cultures and don't like one-man shows.

75 Reviews | 10 Followers
90
Clever, Thought-provoking, Totally unique

See it if you appreciate a unique theater experience coupled with a meaningful story.

Don't see it if you prefer a quiet play

68 Reviews | 12 Followers
90
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great writing, Thought-provoking, Profound

See it if want something completely different? Not a typical Bway show, its so clever & mindblowing. I went in not knowing what to expect & left wowed

Don't see it if Youre only into mainstream cookie-cutter plays/musicals. Don't see it if you don't want to think, or listen- which most people don't do now

754 Reviews | 128 Followers
90
Absorbing, Edgy, Ambitious, Profound, Masterful

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.

60 Reviews | 13 Followers
90
Absorbing, Audience engagement, Edgy, Resonant, Refreshing

See it if You want to be blown away by a riveting, unique piece of storytelling in an inventive way.

Don't see it if You will not allow yourself to fully immerse into the activity happening on the stage.

206 Reviews | 42 Followers
90
Absorbing, Masterful, Must see, Riveting, Unique

See it if you are looking for a new theater experience, want a non-traditional experience at the theater using sound more to tell the story than sight

Don't see it if you want a big production, want a multi-actor play Read more

180 Reviews | 33 Followers
90
Absorbing, Clever, Enchanting, Entertaining, Dizzying

See it if you want to feel you are journeying through the jungles

Don't see it if you are freaked out by journeying through the jungles with mosquitoes buzzing in your ear.

119 Reviews | 29 Followers
90
Absorbing, Clever, Ambitious, Dizzying, Epic

See it if Gives "lend me your ears" a deeper meaning as, for two hours, you experience someone else's experince and are transported to the jungle

Don't see it if Two hours might be a half hour too long

Critic Reviews (62)

The Guardian (UK)
September 29th, 2016

"McBurney is a passionate storyteller, both wily and wild; he needs no technological marvels to make his case. Yet the headphones emphasize the personal relationship he establishes with each auditor and it challenges us to reflect on how and why we surrender to his tale...Headphones are isolating, however, and they make the experience somewhat less communal...But when the sound is flooding and McBurney is chanting, 'The Encounter' is mood-altering and mind-expanding enough."
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Times Square Chronicles
October 6th, 2016

"With the advent of television in the 1950s, radio drama lost its popularity. Why anyone would think that this form would now be entertaining, with the Internet and high tech everywhere, is beyond me...Simon McBurney is a wonderful actor with his vocals and technology, and if he were born and active in the '20s to the '30s, his one-man show would be spectacular...McBurney is everywhere, but that doesn’t stop your brain from wanting to snooze through it all."
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The Wrap
September 29th, 2016

"McBurney’s conversations with his daughter beautifully illustrate the fractured, if not fractious, quality of time and place. 'The Encounter' also easily trumps the book’s ability to convey the concept of beaming...Also, McBurney, a most engagingly relaxed performer, delivers big when he turns himself into wild beasts while experiencing oneness with the rain forest. It’s quite a show, both visually and aurally."
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The Huffington Post
September 29th, 2016

"We see that the theatricality—all sound, all the time—is not a device grafted onto the piece; it specifically fits the play’s examination of reality...It seems clear that people who are interested in this sort of adventurous theatrical spectacle will love 'The Encounter'...Other viewers might understandably opine that the emperor has no clothes; he (it) certainly has no scenery....It is the sound designers who are responsible for the binaural wizardry of the piece; think of 3-D for the ears."
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B
October 5th, 2016

"This production certainly qualifies as the most unusual offering currently on Broadway...The novelty wore off for me rather quickly...The story is frequently interrupted by the voices of expert commentators and, annoyingly, McBurney’s 5-year-old daughter. There are mystical and philosophical overtones and a rather ham-fisted critique of modern materialism. Although it held my interest better than anticipated, I did not find it compelling theater."
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T
September 30th, 2016

"This could have been a simple action-adventure tale with McIntyre as a Harrison Ford-type hero. But McBurney, who also directed the show, adds layers of meaning and dimension...He forces us to question our reality as he breaks down the familiar conventions of theater...The creator-performer daringly submerges himself into an alternate universe of sound and sensation, taking venturesome theatergoers on a wild ride."
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Wolf Entertainment Guide
October 6th, 2016

"The show is one big aural onslaught that, as intriguing as it can be, goes on so long as to leave one in a state of mental exhaustion...The sound effects are stupendous...McBurney puts on one admirable, original performance...This is Broadway’s unique show at the moment. Whether you will leave with great admiration for McBurney and the audio magic being performed, or leave with a headache, or perhaps both, depends upon your outlook and endurance capacity."
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W
October 7th, 2016

"This is a unique theatrical experience. It might be compared to a live radio broadcast aided and abetted by contemporary audio were McBurney’s role not so emphatically physical. Close your eyes occasionally. Visual imagination provides. The story is fascinating, the script visceral and intimate, if a tad long. Acting is a tour de force...'The Encounter' is well served by sound designers Gareth Fry and Pete Makin. This is unquestionably the best and most intricate you’ll hear to date."
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