Coal Country NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%

(56 Reviews)

Positive

81%

Mixed

14%

Negative

Members say

Relevant, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Great acting, Great singing

About the Show

From the creators of "The Exonerated" comes this new work based first-person accounts by survivors of the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine explosion and their family members.

From the show:

In 2010, the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in West Virginia killed 29 men, and tore a hole in the lives of countless others.

In this riveting, emotionally stunning new work based on first-person accounts by survivors and family members, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, award-winning writers of The Exonerated, and three-time Grammy Award-winning country/folk legend Steve Earle, dig deep into the lives and loss of the most deadly mining disaster in recent U.S. history.

Jessica Blank directs this haunting world premiere that gives voice to those yet unheard, and shines a piercing light on the deadly forces of greed and the enduring power of love.

Member Reviews (56)

Through combo of actors acting out words of survivors & the music of steve earl, bears witness to the devastation of the 2010 west virginia upper big branch coal mine explosion

See it if punch to gut; captures ethos of mining community & sense of loss/anger after explosion; fine cast; Earl's folk tunes provide authenticity

Don't see it if never reaches potential as rallying cry vs corp greed; doesn't build 2 dramatic moments; music too unvaried 2 heighten emotional impact

Personal, Gut wrenching, Thought-provoking, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if great documentary theater tells a compelling, powerful story of human suffering & loss; gorgeous acting; music is perfect for the setting

Don't see it if not interested in learning more about the coal industry and it's importance in the community - can't live with it, can't live without it Read more

Critic Reviews (12)

CRITIC’S PICK. "Songs and Stories in a Disaster’s Aftermath: Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s show at the Public Theater, with live music by Steve Earle, is based on a real-life West Virginia mining tragedy."
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4/5 Stars "A devastating documentary play...Blank and Jensen...compassionately channel true accounts of survival without editorializing, so nothing gets in the way of our empathy...The performances are gorgeously authentic and underplayed."
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"Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen give voice to the friends and families of miners killed in a 2010 West Virginia explosion in this haunting drama with original music written and performed by Steve Earle."
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"Coal Country Takes Us to West Virginia Where We're Far Past Canaries: Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen chronicle the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine explosion at the Public Theater, with original songs by Steve Earle."
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"Powerfully Plainspoken 'COAL COUNTRY' Speaks The Truths of Mining Disaster Victims"
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"It's gripping, laced with heartbreak, and it opens a window on the current American dilemma. Of its kind, it is nearly perfect."
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"An air of authenticity suffuses the production, which first-rate performances by the cast and by singer-songwriter Steve Earle."
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4/5 Stars. "Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen have sewn together a shocking, touching West Virginia quilt of blithe corporate corruption, offering another important piece to the annals of working-class theater literature."
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3/5 Stars. "A new docudrama regarding a mine disaster in 2010, performed by a fine company of actors and beautifully staged at the Public Theater."
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"TAPESTRY OF GRIEF: As the best folk songs often do, this powerful show may make you both sad and elated."
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"Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen's documentary drama about the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in West Virginia presents a series of searing first-person accounts of the disaster, as told by the survivors and family members of the victims."
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