Show / Boat: A River Revival (2025 Off-Broadway)

Opened: January 15, 2025
Closing: January 26, 2025

Show / Boat: A River - 2025 Off-Broadway History , Info & More

History More to Do

Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts

566 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012

Run Type Limited Run

Market Off-Broadway

Previews January 09, 2025

Obie Award-winning Target Margin Theater, in collaboration with NYU Skirball, presents a daring reimagining of the seminal musical Show Boat, now re-envisioned as Show / Boat: A River. This bold adaptation reframes the 1927 classic for today’s audience, exploring America’s transformation from the 1880s through the Jazz Age —journeying from steamboats to airplanes, vaudeville to radio, and the Spanish-moss South to the bustling city of Chicago amid the Great Migration.

Show Boat is both a powerful narrative and a historical reflection, revealing a legacy marked by violent racism while striving for a more just America. Director David Herskovits, known for his provocative interpretations, brings a fresh perspective to this quintessentially American masterpiece. Building on Target Margin’s renowned tradition of re-envisioning classic works, this new staging promises the company’s trademark extravagant theatricality, intricate design layers, and a vibrant celebration of language, song, and spirit.

Show / Boat: A River challenges us to confront our past and envision a reimagined America for 2025, bridging the gap between history and the present with striking relevance.

FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Show / Boat: A River

Show/Boat: A River: The Seminal, Historical Classic Severely Landlocked

From: New York Stage Review By: David Finkle Date: 2025-01-15

2 / 10

At the end of the 90-minute day, this River does keep rollin’ without saying much more than nothin’.

In a ‘Show Boat’ Reboot, Ol’ Man River Gets an Extreme Makeover

From: The New York Times By: Jesse Green Date: 2025-01-15

4 / 10

If you want to replace it with a new work told from a new and arguably more authentic perspective, do that. But the halfway treatment in this case feels like keeping the bath water and drowning the baby. As many more-faithful revivals have proved, what’s great about “Show Boat” is not really separable from what isn’t. Not even with the help of a sash or a slash.