Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER (with spoilers)
Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER (with spoilers)
#1Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER (with spoilers)
Posted: 11/4/07 at 11:25am
E12 
The Seafarer
New Play
Booth Theater
2 hours and 30 mins with 1 intermission
Tix Price : $32.50 (thru TDF) + $3.00 fees =$35.50 (MEZZ CTR)
We heard it all before a man makes a deal with the Devil, after 20 yrs or so.. the devil came back to take his soul but before that they have to play a card game for the last time to determine his ultimate fate. This was the main theme of the New Play from the National Theater in Britain from the playwright who's around the same age as me. The young & promising Irish playwright Conor McPherson , who gave us THE SHINING CITY & THE WEIR.
W A R N I N G : Spoilers below Pls skip the 10/10 if you have not seen the play...
1 Thing I like about the Play (out of 10)
1. The Actors : I specially like Jim Norton (Richard Norton as the blind older brother of Sharky) I thought he was really good & very funny. David Morse (Sharky Harkin) who made a deal with the devil 20 yrs ago , but now he was taking care of his elderly blind brother) I love his Irish Accent.. he is very good. I actually find this man very attractive. You would probably recognized him in some of the movies like DISTURBIA as the psychotic neighbor, THE GREEN MILE, CRAZY IN ALABAMA & so many more. Lastly Ciaran Hinds...very good as the mysterious Mr. Lockhart which is the Devil himself.
Funny how the devil does not drink that much and how he got beaten by Irish folks when it comes to drinking. 
The Actors are good and that's about it.
Things I Don't LIKE about the Play
1. I think.. in my opinion... its BORING... We heard this story before ! and a subplot of the two brothers' relationships with one another... How the older brother hated the younger brother. I am not gonna give some of the SPOILERS about their relationships with one another and their to their mother bec. there's will be nothing left to see. The 2 pm matinee upstairs in the MEZZ was full of TDF guys and the guy sitting next to me was LITERALLY taking a nap 
2. Ending- another spoiler.. but very predictable. I really dont like the twist at the end. I thought that its so unoriginal and I think I have seen this already.
3. Dynamics of the Play- Supposedly based on local Irish folklores & myths and its supossedly spooky like the sounds (boisterous sounds created by the ? ) they evoked during the play. I really dont find this spooky at all. I find myself phasing in and out during the play. The first 30 minutes dialogue about the two brothers were very boring and long winded aside the the occasional yelling & cussing at one another & drinking(which I have seen in a thousand irish plays specially here in Boston) which I found the highlights of the the play (for me) It picks up when the Devil (Mr. Lockhart) confronted Sharky and asked for his sould which is the bargain that he made 20 yrs ago... but most of the dynamics of the play were somewhat lackluster..or I might just be missing some parts of it too bec. I was phasing out most of the time.
In Summary : I was really disappointed with this play. I was expecting a lot from Connor McPherson.. I dont know as to why he directed the play neither.. it might have work better, if another director have breathe life to this recycled & boring play.
I thought Farnsworth Invention was more entertaining though very technical. Mauritius was more heart pounding, though it got a lot of mixed to negative reviews here (though I enjoyed it a lot) and The 39 Steps being more funny. I am hoping the I will enjoy August : Osage County next weekend. I am not a critic nor an experience reviewer compared to others here .. I just go what I LIKE or DONT LIKE... and this one was a bit tedious & tired for me...unfortunately! Aside from the hundreds F*ck words with Irish accent that I found very amusing & cute-and that's all I can say.
Is it just me or the play is exactly what I described & nothing more or I just phased out so much that I missed some vital parts?. If its so, this play is definitely a card game that I lose......
P.S. Pls note that this play is still in PREVIEWS, so they may change most parts of it...
Score : 1/3- I DONT LIKE IT
J*
Production Photos
(from BWW)
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=22691
the Playbill 
Article on THE SEAFARER
Booth Theater 
Lounge Downstairs 
Updated On: 5/14/08 at 11:25 AM
#2re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/5/07 at 7:25am
^^^ I RE-EDITed ABOVE and put spoilers.. opps.. my bad
Updated On: 11/5/07 at 07:25 AM
#2re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/5/07 at 8:12amYou might want to attach a spoiler warning to your post, since you give away a major plot point in your analysis.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#3re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/5/07 at 10:17amI liked it a little better than you did, but agree with many of your observations
#4re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/5/07 at 10:35am
I was reading some of the good reviews about THE SEAFARER .. I definitely agreed with some the the things that they say....
SPOLIER BELOW :
1. deals with your inner demons like alcholism or child abuse (Sparky's mother hitting him with a chair that broke his nose ) rather the the physical existence of the devil.
SPOLIER END :
I must say.. that I really dont know if I really understood the play 100%.. It seems to me that you have to reflect later on the inner message of the play. Is like peeling a fruit layer by layer. I took a bus from Boston.. I could have been tried too. I know its not like MAURITIUS that it give you the plot right away.. you have to ponder about it later.. I like the actors I lot... I DID have problem with a lot of things in the play that they could have trim... like conversation between the two brothers, Richard Harkin's
story ( the phone conversation ) and so many more...that's why I phased out and lose track of the main story..
I did not even realized that you have to check the PLAYBILL for some clues.(well- c'mon.... who has time for that when youre in the theater ) I just noticed it when I was on my way home, reading it in the bus.. If I see the play again, after the previews --I probably would have a more positive outlook about the play.
Though I had a problem with the ending... I thought it was PREDICTABLE >>
SPOILER
The devil ending not getting his soul bec. Ivan won the game ACTUALLY . The devil left and told him.. there's probbably someone up there that really LIKES you...
At first .. I did not understand the whole message of it. then later as I read some of other reviews here.. made me realized something that's probably-- it is his second chance to mend his relationship with his elderly brother. 
SPOILER END
My initial reaction was I DID NOT LIKE IT... I was thinking about this play for a whole full day now... I think I might see the play again and I might see things differently the next time I see it. Sometimes when you look at things again .. you end up finding things .. you did not see in the first time.
That's why I like to post and read reviews here bec. sometimes that's how I shape my outlook on certain things .. Well .. we cannot ALWAYS be right or wrong neither ! That's why we exchange thoughts.....
and also I cannot second guess myself !
J*
Updated On: 11/5/07 at 10:35 AM
DoranC
Understudy Joined: 11/4/07
#5re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/7/07 at 12:32am
*SPOILERS*
I understand what you are saying about the devil plot of Seafarer being nothing new (gambling with your soul with the devil, etc.) But I think the basic plot point is less important than the specifics of this particular devil and the shifting manner in which Sharkey responds to him, which I think are distinct from the usual cliches. And, anyways, given that the image of the devil has played such a big part in the lore of Irish drinking (and Irish 'sin' in general) -- "Whiskey is the Devil" being an Irish drinking song, for example--, I thought it makes for a pretty funny move on McPherson's part to play with that idea and just come right out and stick the devil himself right there on stage in the Irish drinking play.
The final resolution to the card game isn't particularly surprising, true enough, but Conleth Hill's Ivan made me laugh so much in the play in general that the mode of its resolution amused me and works well enough for me.
As I'm sure can be told, I really enjoyed the play.
Updated On: 11/7/07 at 12:32 AM
#6re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/7/07 at 7:18am
Sometimes I get so caught up putting graphics & photos that I forgot to expressed myself clearly on my threads.. Sorry about that... I posted my inner thoughts about The SEAFARER on Dirty Rotten Guy's thread... here's what I say.. I hope I made it clearly here...
SPOILER: ********************
The Seafarer is a little deeper. It dealt with conforting our inner demons (In the case of the the main character -- his past ... which he was physically abused as a child and became violent and accidentally killed someone in a bar fight- he made a deal with the devil while in jail and he was set free, in a condition that after 20 yrs or so. The devil would take his soul. Apparently he blocked all his bad experiences in life
as evident in his inability to connect with others (like to go on a date). Folks at his town hear spooky sounds except for him, which for me is inability to emotionally connect with others..... well to cut the story short.. the main character has to face his inner demons to set him free.... I did not LIKE the play bec. I got bored but it does not mean .. its not a good play.. I just thought its been DONE before..
SPOILER END*******************
DoranC - and thanks for your response! .. It made me think more about the play
J*
Updated On: 11/7/07 at 07:18 AM
#7re: Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on THE SEAFARER
Posted: 11/7/07 at 10:00am
One more thing.....
I do admire Connor McPherson... being Filipino and growing up Catholic and surrounded by superstitions (in my case..instead of folklores & myths)- I truly can relate to his play. I thought It was great idea to show the contrast between the physical manifestation of the devil himself ( Mr. Lockhart) vs. the psychological demons ( alcholism, physical abused that the main character experience and his uncontrolled violence) I just felt like it was nothing new to me.
Like what I said... I grew up in a Filipino community here in the US and most of my family really believe in the physical existence of the devil and certain things that could bring bad luck, instead they ignored their inner demons that's has been torturing them ( like any other 'normal catholic ' family- no details pls )
There was a movie that I recently saw .. I cant remember the title...Tim Robbins as an Irish - American living in Boston. who was molested (sexually) as a child and he brought that inner demons with him. He usually go to supposedly "cruising" area in Boston and he saw two guys.. you know what! (one is actually a minor) and he accidentally killed the other one....bec. he thought that is was not consentual...but my point is.. he sees what he believes.. its EVIL .... blinded by his inner demons.
SPOILER********
I also did not like when the (physical) devil tries to remind him of their deal by cutting his breathe or squeezing his heartbeat (?) .. he stumbled on the ground..
then two lamps was flickering.. I thought it was corny
Then there's too much raising of their voices and yelling-which is too much for me.
SPOLIER END****************
Welll..i guess I just wanna add that. Pls feel FREE to point out some vital or MINOR parts in the play that might have missed.. as I said... I was phasing in & out
J*
Updated On: 11/7/07 at 10:00 AM
