The Ferryman (NYC)

See it if you like highly theatrical pieces w LOTS of chars, including a baby, goose, bunny. There's singing, dancing, swearing, and endless drinking.

Don't see it if you want meaning. Not much point. The ride is fun, but the end is overdone.& unsatisfying. 3+hrs flew by. Supernatural element out of place.

See it if to see a show that can only be described as theatre at its best! Spellbinding storytelling! Exquisite character development/plot/set/lights.

Don't see it if I can’t imagine anyone not liking this show. It’s long, 3.25 hours but with such a great performance that time flew by for me.

Also I just saw The Ferryman again, with the new cast and I’m happy to say it’s just as good as when I saw it months ago. Brian D’Arcy James is fantastic as is the entire cast. Every word of my original review stands!... Read more Read less

See it if Passions of love, war and revenge simmer in an Irish pressure cooker. Deep characters, outwardly virtuous, inwardly tainted. Chilling.

Don't see it if You are not interested in a long 3 act play with a large cast and lots of character development. You are not up for a dark journey.

See it if you can; u want to see a play that touches on all the feels: it's powerful, playful, heartbreaking, joyous, enraging, engrossing & thrilling

Don't see it if u don't have 3+ hours to devote to this fascinating multi-generational family saga [otherwise, there's no reason to miss this masterpiece].

Also I really have only one beef with this production: Despite it's length of 3 1/4 hours, I wish there was no intermission & no "short break". I hated that the intensity of the play and my absorption in the drama was interrupted at all.... Read more Read less

See it if you appreciate good drama, intense, great characters, mostly brilliantly acted, well-directed long story, goes quick, makes you think.

Don't see it if you are not patient-long story told over a few days. The tight seats in the mezzanine very wearing. Young voices difficult to understand.

See it if you like Irish plays, follow this playwright, enjoy gripping, rambunctious family tales, like romance, suspense and realistic stories

Don't see it if you're not fond of Irish plays, plays with many, many characters & atmosphere, having to pay attention, don't want to recall "the troubles"

Also This is a genuinely moving play that pulls you into a realistic environment that commands your attention. Despite the many actors on stage, you can easily keep track of each character, including the children, who all create quite specific portraits. Plus there's a real live baby on stage, along with a goose, dog, etc. One of the most rewarding theatrical experiences of my year.... Read more Read less

See it if you are familiar with Irish politics, enjoy complex family dramas, find ensemble work appealing, are impressed by fabulous staging...

Don't see it if you have problems understanding performers with accents. Several significant comments slipped past me.

See it if Young Englishman's sprawling epic of the effects of religious war on Irish family. Large Brit cast. Tiny human alert. Best Jez yet.

Don't see it if Serious trim, dude. Irish cliches. Accents. Violence. Women in supportive roles to their men. So many characters.Feels like a binge marathon

See it if you like to get swept up into an epic theatrical story.

Don't see it if you want to be left with something to chew on once the show is over. (It's an exciting story to watch but not much to mull over afterward.)

See it if Some of the best acting you will ever see. Incredible ensemble performance. I loved all the children although it is def. not for kids!

Don't see it if it is pretty long, although it is not boring. Get's much more serious as it goes on, But one of the best things I've ever seen.

Also I want to see it again. There is so much going on at any one time that it would be great to see it again and be able to focus on something other than what you looked at the first time.
Spoiler ahead: I really hated the last minutes of this play. Although it was clear things were not going to end well, the exact events that occurred were shocking and unpleasant to watch. For so much tragedy to be heaped upon one character, who had already suffered for 10 years, seemed like too much. Yes it was like the end of a Shakespearean tragedy so I had seen such things before, but I was not expecting it to end like that and it did kind of color the way I felt about the more than three hours I’d spent watching the play. But the acting was so incredible and the experience of the play so absorbing that I decided to give it the high score I did. I thought that having so many children in a play for adults made it so lifelike. And that baby!... Read more Read less

See it if You love dark, gritty Irish dramas/thrillers by Butterworth, McDonagh, etc. This is an exceptionally riveting, well-acted play.

Don't see it if You can’t sit through 3 hour+ plays, even if they keep you engaged, or if you prefer more uplifting fare.

See it if you enjoy a powerful drama about a very intense time in Ireland's history. Great acting and dialogue.

Don't see it if you have trouble with Irish accents or do not like violence or talks about violence.

Also I would have scored this play higher but I had trouble with understanding the actors when they faced away from me. The accents were strong but it was when actors didn't face me that I couldn't understand what they said. I recommend sitting as center and close to stage as you can.... Read more Read less

See it if Theater at its best; engrossing, gorgeous acting, direction, writing & set design; chock full of history, family interaction, folklore.

Don't see it if you are bothered by strong Irish accents or have little interest in Northern Ireland's violent history during the time known as The Troubles

Also The Ferryman is both cerebral and emotional, funny and heartbreaking - a play whose story stays with you well past leaving the theater.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see an epic drama that is destined to become a classic. Superb acting. The 3+ hours running time flies by ever so quickly!

Don't see it if you can's sit for a long period of time. You have no interest in The Troubles in Ireland.

See it if you want to see an incredible piece of theater. This play has everything including maybe the best ending I have ever seen.

Don't see it if you don’t have the patience to sithrough a play that last three hours and 15 minutes. But if you like dramas that is the only reason not to

Also If you read my reviews you’ll see I don’t just hand out scores of 90 and better. I really feel it’s important to save these high scores for plays that stand out and really deserve it. This is a very interesting piece of theater. There are so many characters and yes it is confusing at points trying to keep track of everyone but don’t worry too much about that just sit back and let the play come to you because the playwright knows what they are doing. As I was watching this I kept thinking about ways to tighten the script so that play would come in at around two hours and 30 minutes. I definitely think it’s possible to do this but there really isn’t a lot of fluff. The scenes that are long all mean something. The play constantly builds and has one of the strongest endings I have ever seen... Read more Read less

See it if A beautiful family drama with an astounding cast of characters. Slow burn with an explosive ending well worth the intensity.

Don't see it if It's a long play, so you have to be prepared for it. The accents can be a little difficult at times. You don't like profanity.

See it if you want to see a superb production of an ambitious, many-layered play that seamlessly combines the personal and the political.

Don't see it if you don't like long plays and have trouble with Irish accents.

Also Rarely have I been so totally immersed in a theatrical experience. The cast is uniformly amazing.... Read more Read less

See it if want experience of witnessing something you'll never see again on BWY, like family kitchen sink drama, like Jez Butterworth & animals & kids

Don't see it if averse to length, can't understand dialects, want what's on stage 2 reflect your own life, can't be lulled to listen, need lots of action

See it if you like large casts, great sets, good acting all in service to a history lesson about the IRA.I found it overblown, too long, too crowded

Don't see it if you want a more approachable, smaller play.Topic is big enough.You don't need a cast the size of a small town to tell the story.

See it if your standard for excellence is whether the play would work just as well as a movie. Every opportunity for verisimilitude seized on.

Don't see it if you prefer shows that don’t require quite a bit of preexisting knowledge of Greek mythology, historical Northern Irish rebellions.

Also 70% family drama and 30% social drama. All done with great proficiency. Mendes need only point a camera at the stage for Oscar nods. But The Ferryman didn’t really reach me in a way that shook me out of my objectivity or made me invested. Nearly everyone around me was having stronger reactions to the show than I was, though.

The serious scenes were riveting—like the argument between the Carney and Corcoran boys. But the cuteness of cussing kiddies and old-timers is overmilked. Plays heavily into Romantic nostalgia. Not that anyone seemed to mind, but many stereotypes confirmed: endless drinking & hotheadedness, large litters, jigs, Celtic faerie spirituality, elders waxing poetic in Yeatsian fantasias, corrupt priest…... Read more Read less

See it if Everything you've heard is true. It's a masterpiece. Terrific performances all around. Very intense.

Don't see it if The Irish brogues make some of the lines hard to hear. If you are uninterested in a story about a family involved in the IRA, skip it.

See it if Just a gorgeous piece of writing matched to great acting and direction in a polished production.

Don't see it if If you dont want serious. Have no interest in the Irish Hunger strikes. Frequent sense of threat, some violence. Simulated death of goose.

See it if you enjoy serious drama that is extraordinarily written and performed. The ensemble cast is perfect and the 3.5 hrs zooms by

Don't see it if a 3.5 hr show about an irish family set during the IRA/English conflict

See it if Interested in Irish history; family dramas; convoluted plots; great acting by everyone in a large cast; many surprises.

Don't see it if you have a problem with heavy accents; don't like scenes of violence; want easy to follow plot; 3:15 running time.

Also Never a dull moment in this long show, thanks to great writing, superb acting, & expert direction by Sam Mendes.... Read more Read less

See it if You like stories about the IRA or about large families struggling.with problematic characters

Don't see it if You are not interested in Irekand or issues eith the IRA.