Coal Country NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (56)
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
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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Score: 95% "You have until April 5th to get your ticket to 'Coal Country' at The Public, please don't hesitate."
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