Mercury Fur

"A play whose extreme luridness is matched, and even trumped, by its intelligence, 'Mercury Fur' is sensational in pretty much every sense of the word...a profoundly moral play, in that it asks how we define morality under extreme duress. Such morality melds with and blurs the sentimental streak of this play, which has a tight structure and exactly echoing imagery that Ibsen might appreciate...The play’s stunningly indeterminate ending leaves you moved, muddled and gasping for air." Full Review

"'Mercury Fur' sure has the look and feel of something edgy and controversial, but the text would be more aptly described as vague and tedious...The admirable actors do as much as can be expected with the material...The audience is seated on two sides with those up front sitting on old couches and living room chairs. The intention, no doubt, is to make patrons feel like they're silent guests at the party, but there's the added bonus that it's impossible for anyone to walk out without being no... Full Review

"It helps to understand it as a very late and overwrought example of British 'in-yer-face' theater...'Mercury Fur,' first produced in England 10 years ago, feels doubly dated: Its depiction of drug-addled, amoral teens seems very ’90s, and Scott Elliott’s belated NYC premiere comes off as early Adam Rapp at his bleakest...Strictly for those who have never seen the 'in-yer-face' spectacles it strains desperately to outface." Full Review

"It's rare that a theatrical piece has the power to create real visceral dread and stomach-churning queasiness so compellingly and unapologetically. The New Group's chilling production does just that. Scott Elliott guides an extraordinary cast of young actors in a blazingly paced two hours (no intermission) filled with bizarre characters, unsettling imagery, and bloody violence...This production is unquestionably a raw, provocative, unforgettable theatrical experience worth seeing." Full Review

"Straining mightily for shock value and somehow managing to be simultaneously intense and tedious, 'Mercury Fur' is bound to leave audiences sharply divided...There's certainly no fault to be found with director Scott Elliott's immersive production..By the time the nihilistic proceedings reach their apocalyptic conclusion, weariness has long since set in. This is a vision of the not-so-distant future that's as relentlessly monotonous as it is bleak." Full Review

"While 'Mercury Fur,' which has been tautly directed by Scott Elliott, is never dull, one watches with a kind of detachment that is surely the opposite of the playwright's intention. Simply put, the play tries too hard...In the end, 'Mercury Fur' feels like a series of shocks in search of a purpose. By the time it reaches its apocalyptic climax, you are likely to feel fatigued rather than riven with horror. That can't be what Ridley had in mind." Full Review

“'Mercury Fur' demands a visceral reaction far more than it allows an intellectual one...The high production values, however, do little to offset the numbing effect of what could arguably be labeled soft-core gore porn. By the time the relentless violent talk finally turned to violent action – lots of blood and gunshots – I had long before turned off and tuned out." Full Review

"For three quarters of the time, 'Mercury Fur' has an undramatic, even desultory atmosphere, interesting only for the bits of dystopian trivia its characters dispense. Things don’t really become interesting until about a half hour before the final curtain. By then, many will not really care that much; the material grows increasingly familiar. His play seems primarily concerned with shocking the audience by its attention to physical and verbal outrageousness." Full Review

"Ridley's writing is intentionally obtuse, obstructing our absorption of the situation beyond a glittering-gutter patois that occasionally sort of sounds poetic but is typically just dressed-up invective, and in any case doesn't say anything...It's more manipulative than it is mesmerizing, and more repetitive than revealing about any necessary aspect of the human character." Full Review

"Ridley's play is not for the squeamish. Quite a bit of blood is spilled when the client begins to act out his gory dream. There are some inconsistencies in Ridley's dystopia...There is more to 'Mercury Fur' than the revulsion it creates. Ridley has brought the outrages of our time closer to home and cast a flashlight on where they could lead. The director Scott Elliott moves the play along at a smart pace, and an energetic cast makes it uncomfortably credible." Full Review

"A consistently engrossing thriller, a black comedy and a sad, sympathetic portrait of young adults trying to survive in a society gone the way of 'Lord of the Flies.' Much of the dialogue consists of characters' thinking back -- or at least attempting to think back -- on their former lives. Although this slows down the plotting, their memories add intrigue, alluding to what led to this new world order and hinting that some the character relationships are deeper than expected." Full Review

"In the tense but hollow “Mercury Fur,” the delicate insects have morphed into hallucinogenic drugs with Crayola-creative names and unsettling effects...In the end, Ridley’s bleak view — love child of 'A Clockwork Orange' and the pay-for-slay horror flick 'Hostel' — stirs but doesn’t challenge or illuminate. Director Scott Elliott’s production for the New Group has its moments and a very fine cast." Full Review

"Mercury Fur' is an engaging theatre piece that exposes the underbelly of all that we hold to be sane, and normal, and safe. Under Scott Elliott’s exacting and thoughtful direction, the ensemble cast successfully discomfits the assembled comfortable and challenges them not only to witness the depravity of humankind but the (possible) resilience of comradeship and affection and celebrate (perhaps) the importance of protecting those whom we love despite the circumstance and cost involved." Full Review

"'Mercury Fur,' and I think proudly so, is not for everyone. Just in terms of language alone you’re going to hear an f-bomb just about every other word, and this somehow starts to feel clean considering what else is in store... If you have any triggers for child abuse or violence this isn’t for you. If you’re into two hours of nonstop, full throttle, truly terrifying theater, 'Mercury Fur' isn’t to be missed." Full Review

"If you enjoy a play that begins and ends every sentence with F…in’ this, and FU and F-that, you may be a candidate for this offensive, negative drama where people get their kicks partying in abandoned apartments, helping crazies act out their sick and sinister fantasies where killing is the opiate of the event." Full Review

"There’s nothing shy or shrunken about 'Mercury Fur,' whose Off-Broadway premiere Scott Elliott brilliantly directs. This gruesome and disturbing futuristic nightmare combines giddy post-apocalyptic fantasy with wartime stress and violence...For adults who haven’t yet had enough apocalyptic visions, and who can stomach some very tough content, this 'Mercury Fur' is a stunner." Full Review

"A litany of tired shock tactics that manages the difficult trick of being simultaneously gory and boring...The big question hanging over the production is: To what purpose are we being scandalized...? Despite the play's moralism, Ridley is more like his main characters than he'd admit: staging prurient, pointless thrills for jaded urban appetites." Full Review