Wolf in the River NYC Reviews and Tickets

"‘Wolf in the River’ is a theatrical grotesquerie that allows Rapp to give his fevered imagination free rein; much of it is godawful self-indulgent and overwritten, some of it is moderately interesting, and a small portion is actually quite fascinating...But however much Adam Rapp’s ‘Wolf’ huffs and puffs, it serves as a marvelous springboard for several exceptional performances, most especially that of Kate Thulin, who makes her every unrealistic moment thrillingly real."
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"The actors are, for the most part, the resident company called The Bats. They are in high form with Rapp’s work, brave, daring and utterly terrifying. There is a intensity that makes you wonder if this show will turn real and bring you into its midst...Rapp, who also directs, keeps this production alarmingly honest. Despite what is good about this play, the play in a strange way goes nowhere and we never really get to know these characters."
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"From the start, there is an instant element of discomfort...'Wolf in the River' is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It will catch your breath and keep you on edge...There were troublesome components to the text but when you’re thrust in a space such as this, the elements will get the better of you and sway the experience into something extraordinary. It’s when you have more time to think about the play that you’ll really start to question 'Wolf in the River.' For good and for bad."
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"Magnificently acted, beautifully written, and claustrophobically staged in the round, with a pile of dirt in the center and the cast running and slinking in circles behind the audience, it’s a jolt of dark energy...It grabs spectators in an exceptionally visceral and creepy way, without messy performance-art tricks...Rapp’s text and direction draw out the best from the talented cast...I wasn’t sure what was real and what was fantasy or dream. Yet the story held me from start to finish."
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"'Wolf in the River' teeters between fantastic and overwrought...For those who like their theater to challenge them with ideas and images as much as story...'Wolf in the River' has a few problems inherent in the play. The portrayal of these people may be meant as impressionistic, but it borders on vicious stereotyping of them as dumb-ass Southern hicks...The staging has the audience in the mist of the actors, which is mesmerizing."
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"Always provocative, often poetic, playwright-director Adam Rapp blends the mythic with the mundane in this potent exploration of the tribulations of coming of age in the wild backwaters of rural America...'Wolf in the River' offers an entrancingly primal approach to theatrical storytelling...There are times when Rapp’s dithyrambic dialogue seems be trying too hard...The Bats leap into their roles with their customary zeal, clearly trusting Rapp’s vision."
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"Rapp and the cast make bold choices and commit to them, but the challenge is having these choices payoff. The vulgarity in some of the scenes can create distance for theatergoers...At the same time there is so much depth to these characters that each of them could have their own play written about them...The violence, nudity and sexual situations do effectively show the characters’ vulnerability, desperation and fears–even when theatergoers have already seen enough."
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"Even at the end of the 105 minutes worth of love, loud noises and a twerking sequence with a blown up Miley Cyrus doll, the purpose of the production remains unknown... Rapp’s 'Wolf in the River' is almost like an aged old wine; it is an acquired taste...The play makes you feel an abundance of emotions, ranging from pity for delicate Tana, to terror in the presence of the wolves. But it, somehow, is unable to give you closure or help you unravel meaning and purpose."
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