On Blueberry Hill NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (34)
See it if One of the best plays writing acting as only the Irish can do Must see
Don't see it if You do not like difficult uncomfortable story
See it if You love Irish plays and storytelling sling with masterful acting.
Don't see it if If you like plays with strong dramatic, physical action.
See it if you love terrific acting and a script that is almost poetry.Very touching show.I really LOVED this show.It's really special. Go!
Don't see it if you want light, fluffy musicals.This is a show that makes you think, makes you challenge your beliefs about forgiveness, guilt, love.
See it if you want to see two stellar performances from Niall Buggy and David Ganly. Sebastian Barry's language is absolutely stunning and poetic.
Don't see it if you do not like alternating monologues that eventually come together.
See it if Saw at the original venue loved every minute and not surprised it is on broadway now. Amazing singing dancing story costumes plot,has it all
Don't see it if If you hate having a fabulous night at the theater avoid at all costs
See it if you love great drama. If you enjoy unusual formatting, poetic language, exceptional acting and thought provoking ideas. All the good stuff!
Don't see it if If incarceration is a triggering issue for you. You are impatient with subtly evolving plot development.
See it if You're looking for a gorgeously written and brilliantly acted show that deftly handles complex emotions.
Don't see it if You're bothered by plays with slow starts and intermittent slower pacing.
See it if Gorgeous writing expressed by brilliant acting. Great emotion is on display beckoning you into the lives & stories of two prison cellmates.
Don't see it if you prefer dialogue to monologue; you prefer comedy to tragedy and the experience of feeling a gamut of emotion.
Critic Reviews (14)
"The seriously imbalanced new play about love, hatred, and redemption...Barry has an uncommon gift for finding hypnotic music in this perspective. And when his language is delivered by consummate Irish actors like Buggy...it’s hard not to sink into a state of contented sadness that you half wish would go on forever...At a certain point in this 100-minute production, the plot that brings its two characters into convergence takes over with increasing, strong-armed clumsiness."
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“Two prisoners alternate soliloquies, taking turns and barely ever acknowledging each other...At its best, their monologue duet is purely beautiful; at its worst, it’s still pretty lovely...The writing is packed with perfect metaphors...At times the little Theater B at 59E59 pulsates with language so intense you can feel the sonic wave breaking on your chest. If the contrivances and plot twists of the play’s second half bother you, there are two incredible performances to fall back on.”
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“A two-hander that is mesmerizing its audiences...A drama that deftly combines heartache and humor in a story that you will long remember...This is a riveting tale of youth, promise, murder, betrayal, and redemption...The play stars Buggy and Gany...These accomplished actors master Sebastian Barry's finely crafted dialogue and capture the emotional, dramatic and humorous moments of their character's stories...A bittersweet tale that must be seen.”
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“Because the playwright is Sebastian Barry, the dialogue is smoothly literary, as always a pleasure to the ear...But, because this is a Sebastian Barry play, one steels oneself for an evening of dueling monologues...If not played with total conviction, ‘On Blueberry Hill’ could come off as shamelessly contrived. But, under the direction of Jim Culleton, it's easy to travel with these characters along their occasionally implausible -- if often gorgeously described -- journey."
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"There is, in this extraordinary (if imperfect) work, a path to transcendence, involving that most challenging of virtues, forgiveness, and fellow feeling...Barry does not hold back in charting his characters’ flights of sentiment; I stopped scribbling down similes about a half hour in, my fingers exhausted...For the audience the pair of powerhouse performances on display in this production will indeed provide a thrill, and then some."
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"At first we do not entirely know for certain that PJ and Christy share the same space, but eventually the play becomes one of murder, forgiveness and redemption. Aside from the highly poeticized language, the play also uses a great many Irish words that will not be readily known to American listeners (dozer, hurleys, anent, curach, palaver, screw, lag, and the first name Peadar). As Buggy's accent is working class that is another level of difficulty for non-Irish theatergoers."
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"A tour de force for its players Niall Buggy and David Ganly. It is also a riveting experience for the audience...Completely driven by narrative with no exchange of conversation, the play nevertheless moves on a highly dramatic trajectory...Barry's writing is so beautifully crafted that we overlook the plot's stretch of credibility...You should be going if you want to see two great actors in the kind of challenging and unusual play that you won't easily forget."
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“A beautifully nuanced yet thrilling tale about loss, grief, and forgiveness...Barry’s play will leave an imprint on your heart the way a stream shapes a stone: gradually, almost imperceptibly, but unmistakably a force to be reckoned with...An unflinchingly intimate piece. Ganly and Buggy, two extraordinary performers, deliver the poetic text with ease and gravitas...A poetic play, yet one that is deeply grounded; it’s a play that captivates with patience, yet never lacks surprises."
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