Sydney Theatre Company Extends THE RIVER

Sydney Theatre Company's production of Jez Butterworth's The River starring Miranda Otto has proven popular with audiences and new performances are now on sale for an extended season playing Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 30 March - 16 May.

From Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem, Mojo) and screenwriter (Ford v Ferrari, Spectre), STC's The River is helmed by Margaret Thanos, in her STC directing debut, and sees beloved global star Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings, Ladies in Black, A Doll's House) return to the STC stage for the first time since 2011. She will be joined by Ewen Leslie (Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde), and Andrea Demetriades (Home, I'm Darling), to bring to life this lyrical and sublime drama that “unfolds like a tantalising cross between a piece of deeply felt poetry and a sleight-of-hand puzzle” (The Independent). 

On a moonless night, a lovesick fisherman (Ewen Leslie) entertains a woman (Miranda Otto) at his family's remote cabin on the cliffs. The energy between them crackles like the flames in the fireplace. It should be a weekend full of romance and trout fishing but, in Jez Butterworth's haunting thriller, all is not as it seems.

An admirer of Margaret's recent work, Miranda Otto describes Thanos as “bold and dextrous” in her ability to create mystery and explore the “darker edges” of a text: “As an audience member, I was riveted by Margaret's ability to navigate the knife's edge of tone, leaving us electrified. There's a sense of immediacy and danger to her productions that I am instantly drawn to.

Jez Butterworth has captured something spellbinding in this play: it's haunting yet poetic, with a mysterious and quietly unsettling allure that I'm really looking forward to exploring in rehearsals. I can't wait to delve into these relationships and share this work with Sydney audiences.”

Director Margaret Thanos - whose production of I Hate People; or Timon of Athens was described by Sydney Morning Herald as ‘'the best Shakespeare in Sydney this century” - says that she felt an immediate and deeply personal connection when she first encountered Butterworth's play: “When I first read The River, I knew instantly that I had to do it. It felt like the play understood me and what I think about love. It's rare as a director to find that spark with a script. I had a connection to the poetry, beauty and heartache of Jez Butterworth's language.

In a world where we are disconnected from one another by default, where loneliness and isolation is a common issue, what does it mean to try to give your heart to someone? What does it mean to want to be truly seen? When dating apps and situationships mean we treat ‘plenty of fish in the sea' as a call to treat others as disposable, is it even possible to connect at all? If true love is simply the act of understanding, how do we last long enough to find connection? Love, much like this play, is part horror part fairytale. A cabin in the woods can be romantic or your worst nightmare. How do we stick around long enough to stop being afraid of what we simply don't yet understand? And should we? Or should we flee at the first warning sign of trouble?