Review: THE RIVER at The Rogue Theatre

THE RIVER by Jez Butterworth is now playing at The Rogue Theatre, and it packs a punch. This deeply intimate work draws viewers into a psychological and surreal world where a man brings a woman (and other women) to a riverside cabin. But it is unclear, and deliberately so, what order the events happen in and what is exactly real. The overlapping and twisting narratives are master strokes of writing by the playwright, and much is left ambiguous. I enjoy works that leave matters open to interpretation, so I enjoyed THE RIVER.

There are many aspects of this play that ARE clearly stated. We have a man, living at a cabin, who is not honest with the women he brings there. It appears that this man brings many women to his cabin and each time makes them feel they are the only women he has ever shared this "sacred" experience with. Christopher Johnson is the perfect artist to direct THE RIVER. His direction and staging are otherworldly and haunting, which at times cause audience members to question reality and feel as though they are in a dream. I believe this to be the best type of theatre, because it transports you to another world and causes you to forget your own.

THE RIVER contains a small cast, which allows for deep exploration of the themes, up close and personal, with these actors. Bryn Booth portrays The Other Woman with a fiendishly good performance that is honest and raw. Her work onstage is beautiful, tragic, and mesmerizing. She has excellent chemistry with Ryan Parker Knox (The Man). I found myself clinging onto Booth's every word. She has the ability to deliver dialogue with measured phrasing that is musical in nature and profoundly moving. Booth's performance is essential to this play. 

Sophie Gibson-Rush is The Woman. Her dialect work here is impeccable, and I noticed. I have seen Gibson-Rush in other productions. This is by far her best work. She moves with grace and purpose onstage. Even when she is not speaking, it is crystal-clear what her character is thinking and planning. There is an intensity to Gibson-Rush's performance that contrasts perfectly with Booth's hypnotic and dreamlike work. Likewise, Gibson-Rush is fantastic onstage with Ryan Parker Knox. She drags onto center stage the conflict and the questions that the play lays bare by its end.

Ryan Parker Knox is tragic and illuminating with a truly magnetic presence. He accomplishes the difficult task of eliciting both sympathy and disdain for his character and the choices he makes. Knox spends a considerable amount of time onstage. As a result, we as the audience get to know his character very well. Knox shows full command of movement and vocal delivery that give weight to his measured and powerful performance. I especially delighted in the scene where he prepares and cooks a trout. The sequence is entirely mimed yet Knox manages to make everything look believable and real. He is a truly gifted actor.