Boesman and Lena NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (90)
See it if Brilliant theater ... so much to unpack. Flawless performances and exquisite production. Must see ... “Freedom is a long walk”
Don't see it if Run don’t walk.
See it if you love phenomenal acting where you lose yourself in the character's struggles and appreciate the total absorption into their roles.
Don't see it if You prefer a more realistic script.
See it if 2 hrs of unrelenting pain in S Africa, made great by Zainab Jah's stunning Lena and Fugard's insightful, occasionally beautiful wrtiting
Don't see it if you are looking for something fluffy and cheerful.
See it if You like brilliant acting haunting music and fancy a show about a struggle of a couple on an endless journey. Athol Fugard a genius.
Don't see it if If you like lots of comedy action musical numbers , this is fiercely contained masterful subtle drama.
See it if moving; audience stunned by tragedy of characters uprooted, dehumanized by apartheid; Zainab Jah amazing Lena trying to retain her humanity
Don't see it if play starts slowly on moonscape mudflats where Boesman/Lena 1st appear but soon stage filled w rage/conflict offset by small acts of grace Read more
See it if u can deal with the horror of apartheid that sadly lives on... like magnificent acting, writing and direction
Don't see it if u want 2 miss a tour de force performance by zainab jah
See it if you want to see a new interpretation of a classic play. Also, a stunning performance by Zainab Jah.
Don't see it if you can't sit for two hours. Also, if you are not interested in how apartheid treats displaced people. Read more
See it if You love Athol Fugard and are eager to confront issues of class and race; want to truly think about the plight of the impoverished.
Don't see it if If you want light entertainment that makes you feel good when you leave the theatre. No toe tapping here but great acting.
Critic Reviews (24)
"Farber’s staging seems to complete this metamorphosis, clearly placing itself within the tradition of existential rather than political drama...In Farber’s unrelentingly bleak staging — time disappears...we could be in any era, ancient or modern. So too with the characters, whose specific plight is sanded so smooth we barely see them as an estranged couple anymore...They are solo archetypes of the broader human condition, regardless of race or poverty."
Read more
"Farber...emphasizes its timelessness...While the production is powerful from an intellectual perspective, it can be emotionally numbing...Only when Boesman and Lena's routine is disrupted do they start to tear at your soul...'Boesman and Lena' may leave you impressed at the resilience of the spirit or depressed by the revolting way people continue to treat each other. Either way, it is a challenge to endure."
Read more
"It's a tough play to watch, and at times, Farber takes things a bit too far. But with its three virtuosic performances and brilliant staging, this two-hour journey is unquestionably worth taking...Farber's production captures the appalling injustices and cycles of abuse perpetuated by apartheid...Though 'Boesman and Lena' shares some of the existential themes of 'Godot,' it has none of its humor...Fugard shows us a world of intolerable iniquity with little room for that kind of joy."
Read more
“As written fifty years ago by the now-celebrated 86-year-old, the refugee couple, played with stark sensitivity by Ngaujah and Jah in director Farber's exquisitely somber production, are carrying everything they own as they seek a spot in the mud flats of the river Swartkops to settle for the night...Forgoing a linear plot, ‘Boesman and Lena’ is a study of how inhumane treatment can transform those who lose their identity by systematic abuse.”
Read more
"As a portrait of life on the outer margins of existence, without a drop of mercy and absent any hope other than managing to live another day, 'Boesman and Lena' can be difficult to watch...But time and again, the play -- especially in Yaël Farber's majestic production -- delivers blazing insights into these characters...Farber has gotten superb work from her two leads...'Boesman and Lena' is, functionally, a two-hander, and Farber has cast the roles brilliantly."
Read more
"Bleak, angry, and violent, 'Boesman and Lena' is a difficult play to watch, and director Yaël Farber does not make it any easier in her production choices. The two-act play is performed without intermission, so it is an emotionally draining two hours...As Lena, Jah is utterly and scarily convincing...Ngaujah is equally strong."
Read more
"A formidable sense of doom hovers over Yaël Farber’s demanding production of 'Boesman and Lena'...Ngaujah turns in a frighteningly good performance as the bullying Boesman, all fire, fists, and fury. Meanwhile, Jah is every inch his match and more."
Read more
"Jah - a standout in such works as 'Eclipsed' and 'Venus' - gives one of the season's most extraordinary performances as Lena, a woman who should be utterly defeated by everything life has thrown at her: dead children, poverty, body aches and the now-perpetually angry Boesman. Still, she rails and wails, often without making much sense. Yet it's always clear she's talking just to make sure she's alive."
Read more